A Kebbi State High Court has sentenced Muhammed Sani Nuhu, a former academic staff of Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic, Kebbi State, to five years imprisonment.
He was sentenced by Justice Hassan Usman, over the diversion of N6 million study grant to his personal use.
Nuhu was arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, on 4-count charges.
Background
Nuhu received the monies under a special grant offered to him for study.
According to the ICPC, the former Polytechnic lecturer used the special grants meant for him to attend an international conference in Aberdeen, United Kingdom.
He used the first portion of money that was paid for his Doctorate programme at the University of Technology Malaysia.
ICPC’s spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, told the court on Tuesday that Nuhu, engaged in corruption when he converted, “two million Naira (N2,000,000:00) in 2015 and four million, one hundred and seventy-three thousand, four hundred Naira (N4,173,400:00) in 2016.” for his personal use.
In the suit marked KB/HC/4C/2020, the counsel to the ICPC, Mashkur Salisu, also told the court that the dismissed staff of the union failed to attend the programme with the allocated money.
In the two-year trial, Salisu included that the accused proceeded to make use of the grants for his personal use.
His action violated and is punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practises and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
Also Section 311 of the Penal Code, and is punishable under Section 312 of the Penal Code Law (Cap 89) Laws of Northern Nigeria, 1963.
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Court’s decision
Justice Hassan Usman found Nuhu guilty on count one to three but dismmised count four preferred against him.
The judge sentenced Nuhu to five years on each count which will run concurrently.
The court ordered him to restitute the sum of N6.5 million to the federal government.
