School principal arraigned over alleged N3.8m admission rackets, ICPC shuts college

A Secondary School Principal in Gombe state, Bello Muhammed Abubakar, has been arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), over alleged fraudulent activities, mainly admission racketeering  and other offences.

The school principal was accused of defrauding unsuspecting admission seekers to the tune of the sum of Three Million, Eight Hundred and Eighty-Four Thousand, Two Hundred Naira only (N3,884,200:00).

He was alleged to have operated four different illegal institutions of higher learning in the state before he was nabbed by officials of ICPC. The institutions include; Mukhtar Polytechnic Gombe and Goni Mukhtar College of Education Gombe State. In a swift move, ICPC, consequently shut the institutions, describing them as illegal.

ICPC therefore brought a 2-count charge brought before Hon Justice Halima S. Muhammed of Gombe State High Court 2 sitting in Gombe.

ICPC, in a Charge No: GM/128C/2021 averred that Mr. Abubakar had obtained by false pretense the above sum when he illegally operated the following institutions: “Mukhtar Polytechnic, Goni Mukhtar College of Education, and Goni Mukhtar Linguistic Centre,” all in one block of three classrooms in Gombe State between 2009 and 2015.

The Commission told the Court that the accused person had defrauded unsuspecting admission seekers to the tune of the sum of Three Million, Eight Hundred and Eighty-Four Thousand, Two Hundred Naira only (N3,884,200:00).

The charge reads in part: “That you Bello Muhammed Abubakar (m) between the period of 2009 to 2014 or thereabout at Gombe within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did obtain by false pretense the sum of N3,884,200:00 from unsuspecting admission seekers under the guise of offering them admission into Mukhtar Polytechnic Gombe and Goni Mukhtar College of Education Gombe State.  And you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.”

Counsel to ICPC, Mashkur Salisu, informed the Court how the School Principal was perpetrating the said offences before he was nabbed by operatives of the Commission during an intelligence-led operation.

Said ICPC in a statement by its spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, “The defendant’s actions are contrary to Section 13 and punishable under Section 68 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, and Section 1(i) of the Advanced Fee Fraud Act, 2006.

When the accused person was admitted to take his plea, he pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were read to him.

Counsel to the accused, Mr. A.B. Ebrany moved a bail application in favour of his client which was not opposed by the prosecution counsel”.

Continuing, “The trial judge, therefore, granted the accused person bail in the sum of Two Million Naira (N2,000,000) and two sureties in like sum who must be residents within the jurisdiction of the court and must depose to an affidavit of means. Failure of which he would be remanded in Gombe Correctional Centre”.

The case has been adjourned to the 29th and 30th of March 2022 for hearing.

•Bello Muhammed Abubakar

Gunmen kidnap bride-to-be, 5 others in Kaduna

Gunmen have invaded Rigachikun community in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State and abducted a bride-to-be and five other residents.

Daily Trust gathered that the gunmen invaded the community close to Kasan Dam around 1am on Wednesday and attacked three houses and picked their victims.

A woman whose grandchildren were among those abducted said the bride-to-be identified as Khadija was sleeping by her side when the bandits broke into their room.

She said, “We were sleeping when they came into the room and asked Khadija and one Shabilu to come with them. They also took away a phone and a piece of bread from the table. We are confused.”

A community leader, Idris Abdulrasheed, said the incident was the first in the community and that they had already informed the police about it.

He said the bandits were yet to contact the families of the victims.

The police spokesman in the state, ASP Mohammed Jalige, did not answer his calls yesterday. (Daily Trust)