Two Jailed For Employment Fraud Using Polaris Bank ATM Card

A Gombe State High Court on Wednesday sentenced Ibrahim Abdullahi and Umar Usman for obtaining N682,847 under false pretence.

A statement issued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission stated that Abdullahi and Usman were separately arraigned on three counts bordering on cheating and employment scams.

The charge partly read, “That you, Ibrahim Abdullahi, sometime in October 2020 and January 2021 in Gombe, Gombe State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, obtained the Polaris ATM card property of Aminu Adamu Idris and Muhammed Saidu Jibril, which you claimed was documentation for an offer of employment you secured for them in a private liability company at Gombe, but rather used the said ATM card to obtain a loan to the tune of N682,847 without their consent and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 322 of the same Law.”

Upon arraignment, the defendants pleaded guilty to the charges.

The prosecuting attorney A.B. Kware pleaded with the court to sentence them appropriately in light of their pleas, while the defendants’ attorney, R.A. Anthony, pleaded with the judge to exercise mercy as first-time offenders who regret their acts.

Judge Kereng found both Abdullahi and Usman guilty and sentenced them to one year in jail and a fine of N50,000, while Usman received a sentence of two years in prison and a fine of N50,000.

In a similar development, Justice Kereng sentenced one Mohammed Soja to six years imprisonment for employment fraud. Soja was arraigned on three counts bordering on fraud, cheating, and employment scams.

Given his father’s medical condition, Judge Kereng offered him a second chance and sentenced him to six years in prison with an option of a N150,000 fine.

Gombe State High Court on Thursday sentenced one Alhaji Abdullahi Usman to 10 years in prison for obtaining goods under false pretences.

The EFCC had arraigned Usman before Justice Abubakar Jauro on one count on June 27, 2018, after he approached the owner of Fusaha Stores in Gombe to give him some goods while pretending to be a wealthy businessman from Adamawa State.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded in prison.