Gombe Court sentences fraudster to jail for employment scam

Justice A. Abdussalam of the Gombe State High Court sitting in Gombe, on Thursday February 15, 2024 convicted and sentenced Kelvin Tikus to three years imprisonment for employment scam.

Tikus, 36, employee of the Nigerian Correctional Service was arraigned on one count charge of fraudulent conversion  by the Gombe Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The charge reads: “That you Kelvin Tikus sometimes in August 2021 at Gombe State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did fraudulently deceive one Sa’ad Umar, a business man to deliver to you the sum of Six Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N650,000) through your Bank account No: 3818815016 domiciled at First City Monument Bank ( FCMB) under the deception of securing employment at the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps  and thereby committed.an offence contrary to Section 320 (a) of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 322 of the same Law.

Upon arraignment, the defendant pleaded  ”guilty,” prompting  the prosecution counsel, Mustapha Aliyu, to pray the court to convict and sentence the defendant  accordingly.  However, defence counsel, Yusuf Abdullahi pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy “as the defendant is a first- time offender who is  remorseful for his actions and has restituted the money  to the victim of crime.”

Justice Abdulssalam thereafter convicted and sentenced Tikus to thirty six months imprisonment with a fine option.

The convict’s journey to the correctional Centre began when a petitioner alleged that he made him pay the sum of N650,000.00 to secure employment with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps. He neither delivered the job nor refunded the petitioner his money.