Nigerians across the world have been reacting to what can be described as a ridiculous sentence handed out to a former head in the Police Pension Board, Yakubu Yusuf, who pleaded guilty to the embezzlement of N23.3 billion; an Abuja High court presided by Justice Talba Mohammed on Monday convicted him and sentenced him to two years imprisonment as well as forfeiting property valued at N325 million but he was given an option of N250 thousand to avoid the jail sentence. Commenting on the judgment, Tosin Awotesu, a legal practitioner in the United Kingdom suggested it was time to introduce jury trials for corruption cases in Nigeria.
“It may be time to introduce jury trials for corruption cases in Nigeria; that is if we still have an iota of hope in the ability of our justice system to deliver justice when it comes to such cases. This one man show is open to abuse as can be seen from this and other cases,” she said.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in March last year arrested a serving permanent secretary and three directors in the Police Pension Board in connection with a fraud of N2 billion in the Police Pension Office with reports revealing that one of the suspect arrested with ca cash of N2 billion being proceeds of the fraud.
Among those arrested was a former Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Atiku Abubakar Kigo who conspired with five other civil servants and diverted N32.8 billion from the Nigeria Police Pension Funds; the Mr Esai Dangabar, Ahmed Inuwa Wada, John Yakubu Yusufu, Mrs Veronica Ulonma Onyegbula and Sani Habila Zira.
The accused went to court approached an Abuja High Court at Gudu, begging it to quash the entire 16-count charge preferred against them by the commission for want of evidence to which the EFCC filed a counter affidavit in opposition to the motion seeking to quash the charge against them maintained that its investigations revealed that the accused persons sequentially withdrew monies from Police Pension funds domiciled in an account at First Bank of Nigeria. The EFCC went further to tell the court that the withdrawn monies totaling about N32.8 billion were subsequently shared between the Permanent Secretary and the other accused persons who it said were signatories to the police pension fund account. And that the one of the suspects, Wada at a point collected N18 million from Unity Bank Plc as his reward for ensuring that the Police Pension Account was retained in the bank. But after pleading guilty, Yusuf was given what many described as a “pat in the back” by the judiciary. Though details of the judgement has not been obtained by goodnameafrica, Nigerians are already condemning the sentence and attacking the judiciary with one citizen describing it as being like a spider web that is too strong to catch the weak and too weak to catch the strong.
“Big criminals don't get the deserved punishment! If an ordinary Nigerian were to steal a plantain or Nokia 10 thief, he would have gotten 14 years jail term or some miscreants dangled a flaming tire around his neck,” Prince Ebere reacted.
Effiong Uti was of the opinion that there may have been some plea bargaining behind the scene, a situation he said was making a mess of the judiciary and legal process in the country.
“If EFCC catch anybody doing cyber crime, the jail term will be up to 30 years with that level of crime, then why all these mess by the Judiciary? What the essence of going to court? To hell with plea bargaining,” he said.
Considering the fact that so many pensioners have died while waiting for their pensions to be paid, Maria wondered if the EFCC presented that evidence in their prosecution.
“He Should Have Been charged for murder of all the dead pensioners; While a guy gets four years for stealing a mobile phone, he gets two years for embezzling over N20 billion. If na poor man steal fowl, na 10yrs in prison. Justice Indeed,” she said.
Andrew Ojiezel juxtaposed the sentence with that of a Magistrate Court sitting in Abeokuta, which on Wednesday last week sentenced a 49-year-old man, Mr. Mustapha Adesina, to two years imprisonment for stealing vegetables valued at N5, 000, “The judiciary and the legislature are the problem in this country and I believe that every person working in the judiciary should be ashamed of this miscarriage of justice. They are laying some precedent that would only encourage corruption,” he said.
The EFCC said they would study the judgment before making their next move.
Apart from the jail term, the EFCC said the former assistant director of Police Pension office will forfeit 32 properties. They include two units of a 3 bedroom semi detached bungalow at R2, A and B, sunny homes, Dakwo District, Abuja; two units of 3 bedroom semi bungalow- detached at M24, A and B, sunny homes Dakwo homes, Dakwo District Abuja; four units of a 3bedroom semi- detached bungalow, managed by Daniel at sunny homes, Dakwo District, Abuja; eight units of an Estates of two bedroom flats, at Gombe, GRA; one unit Semi-detached Duplex at house 21, 4th Avenue, Gwarinpa, Abuja; four units of a 2 bedroom semi-detached duplex at Bricks city, Kubwa road, Abuja and one unit of Semi- Detached Duplex, at 14B Democracy crescent, Gaduwa, Abuja.
The Nigeria judiciary has always delivered controversial judgments that analysts and human rights activists always question their integrity. Last year, a United Kingdom court found a former governor in Delta State, Mr. James Ibori, guilty on several counts of money laundering in a case where he got over 100 counts dismissed by an Asaba High Court.
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