By Joe Udo
ABUJA (CONVERSEER) – The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured the conviction of two National Assembly staff, Mustapha Mohammed and Tijjani Adam Goni, for defrauding two job seekers of N4.8 million under the guise of securing employment for them at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The conviction followed a petition filed in 2022 by Saifudeen Yakub and Aminu Abubakar, who reported that on 27 May 2021, a fraudulent intermediary, Mustapha Muhammed—currently at large—claimed he could facilitate CBN job placements through his associate, the 1st defendant, who worked at the National Assembly. Each job slot was allegedly priced at N4 million, with an offer letter promised for release on 27 April 2021.
The petitioners paid N3 million into a Zenith Bank account belonging to the 1st defendant. Investigators later confirmed that on the same day, the suspects demanded an additional N300,000 from each applicant for a supposed medical screening. This second payment was sent to an Access Bank account belonging to one Badraddin Mohammed.
The ICPC filed a 5-count charge before Justice B. M. Bassi of the FCT High Court, Asokoro. Prosecuting counsel, Fatima Abdullahi Bardi, told the court that the charges included offences under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006, as well as the Penal Code.
Counts 2 and 3 detailed a conspiracy to forge a CBN employment letter dated 28 June 2021, tagged “Final Document List,” with the intention of extorting the complainants. Counts 4 and 5 involved another forged letter of employment dated 11 June 2021, purportedly from FIRS, issued in favour of one Mustapha Muhammad.
One of the charges read that both defendants, in June 2021 in Abuja, conspired to forge the FIRS employment document to further their fraudulent scheme.
READ ALSO: Gov Diri: Children abused for witchcraft need justice and care
During proceedings, the defendants entered into a plea negotiation under Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and agreed to refund the full N4.8 million to the ICPC Recovery Account. They later pleaded guilty to an amended 1-count charge of making false statements contrary to Section 25 of the ICPC Act 2000.
On 29 October 2025, the court sentenced each defendant to a fine of N100,000 after confirming full restitution to the Commission’s account.
The ICPC said the conviction reinforces its commitment to tackling employment-related fraud and deterring corrupt practices across public institutions.
