After being found guilty of stealing exhibits, a former employee of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Hussaini Abubakar was sentenced to a one year jail term.

The Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the EFCC arraigned Abubakar before a court on a three-count charge bordering on stealing.

One of the charges against Abubakar read as follows:

That you, Hussaini Abubakar, in 2017 at Port Harcourt in the Port Harcourt Judicial Division did fraudulently steal an exhibit from the Forensic Section of EFCC, an exhibit which you knew was recovered in the course of investigation to wit: One Lenevo S60-A (daul sim) with serial number: HBOGOHAQ with IME slot number: 1-866059026043140, worth N18,000, belonging to one Chuku Nelson Nyegam and thereby committed an offence.

He pleaded guilty to all the charges levelled against him. The defense counsel, M. M Suleiman pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy. He based his plea on the ground that Abubakar was a first time offender with no prior criminal record, an orphan, a married man, a father of a 15-months-old baby and hence, the bread winner for his family.

However, Justice S.C Amadi of the Rivers State High Court handed Abubakar a one year jail term, with an option of N150,000.00 fine.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.