Employment Scam: Court Jails Civil Servant 7 Years

THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Gwagwalada, Abuja, has convicted and jailed a civil servant at the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, one Amdii Gideon, seven years for his involvement in employment scam.

A statement by the spokesperson of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Azuka Ogugua, on Thursday, said the convict was prosecuted on five counts of fraud, adding that the trial court convicted and jailed him for seven years without an option of a fine last Monday.

The ICPC had accused Gideon of demanding N250,000 and receiving N162,500 from an applicant with the promise to procure a job for him at the Federal Civil Service Commission.

In the case filed by ICPC, Ogugua said in her statement that the victim from whom the convict took the money had reported the matter to ICPC after the convict failed to procure the said job and refused to refund his money.

During the trial, counsel for the ICPC, Michael Adesola, argued that the convict’s action was contrary to sections 8 and 10 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and Section 1 (3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006.

The prosecution, the ICPC’s statement said, was able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt which formed the premise upon which the court found Mr Gideon guilty of the charges against him.

One of the charges filed against him reads: “That You Amdii Monday Gideon (M) on or about the month of June 2015 at Abuja Federal Capital Territory while being a Public Officer at Registry Unit of the Permanent Secretary (Special Duties) office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation corruptly asks for the sum of N162,500.00 (One hundred and sixty-two thousand five hundred naira) from (name withheld) to secure a job for him and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 8(1)(a) and punishable under section 8(1)(ii) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offence Act 2000.”