Witness Reveals How Prison’s Deputy Comptroller Collected N2.8m From Applicants

A prosecution witness has testified against Abubakar Mohammed Sani, a Deputy Comptroller in the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) on Thursday.

The witness, Ashafa Abubakar Aliyu, detailed how the officer obtained money from unsuspecting job seekers.

Sani was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Hadiza Sabi’u Shagari of the Federal High Court Katsina.

He is accused of using his position as an officer of the Katsina Command to dupe some persons on the pretext of helping them secure employment into the Service.

Aliyu recalled that sometime in 2012, the defendant who was his colleague in the then Nigerian Prison Service (NPS) asked him to find candidates looking for employment.

He revealed that the defendant being the Works Officer at the headquarters, it was easy to believe that he could secure jobs.

“The defendant told me that there was vacancy in the then Nigerian Prison Service and because we did a basic course together in Kaduna and he used to lead us in prayers, I agreed to provide candidates.

“He convinced me to pay for the job for my relations, Umar Himma, Surajo Ibrahim, Abdullahi Gambo and others whom I cannot remember their names.”

Aliyu said he called the defendant and put him on speaker phone to the hearing of the applicants. Sani told them to pay N300,000 each if they wanted the job.

The applicants, according to the witness, raised more than N2 million which he paid into Sani’s account.

Since then, the defendant neither provided the jobs nor refunded the money he collected.

Defence counsel, Salisu Malami applied for an adjournment to enable him prepare for cross-examination of the witness.

Justice Shagari adjourned the matter until February 3rd and 4th for the continuation of trial.