Court Sends Bishop to Prison for Diverting N69m to Personal Account

The Adamawa High Court sitting in Yola, the State Capital on Monday, March 23, has sentenced a former executive secretary, Adamawa State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, Bishop Jinga Mayo, to five years imprisonment.

The convict was charged to Court on Jan. 30, 2019, for diverting and furnishing of false return in respect of the sum of N69,198,600.

The amount was discovered to be meant for the operating committees of the 2016 Christian Pilgrims operation to Israel but Mayo fraudulently diverted it for personal use.

He was the executive secretary of the board between 2016 and 2017 and was sentenced to a correctional facility on March 23, 2020, without the option of fine.

In similar case, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Kaduna Zonal Office, has secured the conviction of one Abdulkadir Mohammed Salihu, a former sales assistant of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Kaduna Depot.

He was arraigned on three-count charge bordering on fraud to the tune of N6bn before Justice B. Abubakar of the Federal High Court in Kaduna State.

Salihu, who was in charge of loading manifest at the Kaduna Depot of the NNPC, was arrested on 29th October, 2019 and arraigned on Wednesday, March 26.

He pleaded guilty to the three count charges when it was read to him, paving way for EFCC prosecution lawyer, Deborah Ademu-Eteh, to ask for sentencing accordingly.

Trouble began for the convict when several petitions against him were submitted to the Kaduna Zonal Office of the EFCC and upon investigation, it was discovered that he conspired with other marketers to lift petroleum products without payment at NNPC deport, Kaduna State, worth over N6bn.

Investigation further revealed that he was part of the cartel behind multiple loading of petroleum products and he committed the fraud from 2009 to 2017 at Kaduna Depot without corresponding payments.

Following his guilty plea, Justice Abubakar sentenced the suspect to three years imprisonment with an option of N1m fine.

The accused, according to the judge, will also forfeit several houses and vehicles.

The judge also ordered the defendant to forfeit his gratuity and 30 per cent monthly pension to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Newsflash Nigeria is an online newspaper that is developed and written exclusively for Nigerians. It’s packed with up-to-the-minute Local and National Economy News, Share & Capital Market, Health, Sports, Education, Technology, Business and Opinions.

To make further advert enquiries or place an order, please contact us at [email protected] and +2348053316946 and WhatsApp number 08033546732