BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto –
A serving Assistant Superintendent 11 of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Sokoto command alongside one Aminu Sifawa and Ibrahim Shehu have been accused of defrauding innocent unemployed applicants of their hard earned monies.
The Commander, Sokoto Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) ACE 11 Bawa Usman Kaltungo, who disclosed this while addressing newsmen, appealed to Nigerians not to subscribe to those requesting monies for employment.
According to Kaltungo, the criminal syndicates lured their victims with assurances of getting job for them at lucrative places such as Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS), Nigeria Customs Services (NCS) and Nigeria Port Authority (NPA).
The suspects (Aminu Sifawa and Ibrahim Shehu) were said to have extorted one million, two hundred and sixty thousand naira (1,260,000.00) from one Aminu Binji and Bello Abubakar Wamakko in the pretence of getting employment for them at the NCS.
While noting that 26 unsuspecting applicants have so far fallen prey of this unexisting job scam, Mr Kaltungo listed othet items recovered from the suspects to include, prepared aptitude test question papers and score sheets for Nigeria Immigration Service.
On further investigation, the suspect confessed that all documents found in his possession were forged and fabricated by him through the help of one John Danjuma of Mbaka & Co Business Center, Mararaba Abuja.
“He subsequently led operatives of the EFCC to Abuja where they arrested the said Danjuma and his computer containing the prototype of the recovered documents in his system”.
The suspect, Ibrahim Shehu also collected monies from unsuspecting applicants in return for a job in NIS.
This, he strived to perfect by initiating and organising a purported Immigration Training at Kwanawa Primary school located within the vicinity of the the Army Day Primary School, Kwanawa.
“He also employed the services of a serving Assistant Superintendent 11 of the Nigeria Immigration Service and another Officer in Charge of Drill of the Sokoto State Vigilante Group who equally served as Officer in Charge of Drill in the purported training.
“The Immigration officer appeared in his official uniform at the recruitment/training venue to convince the trainers and make it look genuine. The Immigration officer lectured the trainees in the rudiments of the Nigeria Immigration Services, prepared exams for them, marked their scripts and awarded scores.
The Immigration officer also sold to the trainees what he claimed to be the Immigration manual (photocopy) at the cost of five hundred naira each”
Speaking to newsmen, the suspect, Ibrahim Shehu said he was only running an NGO with the name Promotion of Peace Through Religion and Tribal Tolerance Foundation to assist people before the Immigatation officer took advantage of them to perpetuate the crime.
One of the victims, Jeremiah Gamgba said he is a WAEC holder who was introduced to the man by his friend.
“I was asked to register with twenty five thousand naira and another twenty five thousand naira for three sets of uniforms”. He lamented.
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