NSCDC Officer Bags Seven Years Imprisonment Over N12.2m Job Scam

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has said it secured the conviction of one Mr Solomon Ogodo, a Superintendent of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), for involvement in forgery, employment racketeering and fraud.

The commission who made this known in a post on its official X handle on Tuesday said he was arraigned for defrauding unsuspecting job seekers to the tune of N12,200,000.

Recall that the ICPC in December 2022 arraigned Mr Ogodo in charge no: CR/503/2022 before Honourable Justice M.S. Idris of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court, Abuja.

In the 5-count charge, ICPC told the court that the convict had on different occasions hoodwinked some innocent Nigerians into paying different sums of money in the guise of securing employment for them in the Nigeria Correctional Services, NCoS.

In the course of the trial, ICPC’s Prosecutor in the case, Mr. Hamza Sani led evidence before the court on how the convict forged offers of provisional appointments for some applicants into the NCoS.

His actions, according to the commission, are contrary to Section 13 and punishable under Section 68 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.

ICPC further said that the offence is contrary to Section 363 and punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code Act, stressing that the actions also violated and are punishable under Section 1 of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offence Act of 2006.

Shortly before the jail sentence was passed on Monday, Counsel to Mr. Ogodo, Mr. A. A. Nwoye urged the court to convert the jail term to community service for the convict.

The prosecution counsel on his part moved that the court should take cognizance of section 319 (1) a of the Administration of Criminal Justice ACT (ACJA) 2015 to mandate the convict to pay compensation of all the sum collected to the victims of his action.

Justice M.S. Idris in his judgement sentenced Mr Ogodo to seven years imprisonment on counts 1 to 3 (without the option of fine) and two months’ imprisonment or the option of a fine of five thousand Naira on count 4.

The convict equally bagged two months imprisonment on count 5 of the charge without the option of a fine.