ICPC Secures Conviction of Two National Assembly Staff Over Employment Scam

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured the conviction of Mustapha Mohammed and Tijjani Adam Goni, both affiliated with the National Assembly, Abuja, for defrauding two individuals of N4.8 million over fraudulent job promises at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The case originated from petition ICPC/P/NC/1056/2022, submitted by Saifudeen Yakub and Aminu Abubakar, who alleged that on May 27, 2021, Mustapha Mohammed, who is currently at large, claimed that his associate, Tijjani Adam Goni, a National Assembly staff, could secure two job slots at CBN for N4 million each. Mustapha demanded N3 million from the petitioners, which they deposited into a Zenith Bank account belonging to Goni.

Further investigation revealed that Goni requested an additional N300,000 from each applicant for alleged medical screenings, which was transferred to an Access Bank account in the name of Badraddin Mohammed.

Following thorough investigations, the ICPC arraigned the defendants before Justice B.M. Bassi of the FCT High Court No. 55, Asokoro. The defendants faced a five-count charge, including fraud and obtaining by trick, under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and sections 363 and 364 of the Penal Code.

The charges included conspiracy to forge employment letters dated June 11 and June 28, 2021, purportedly from FIRS and CBN, to extort money from the petitioners.

Pursuant to Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, the defendants pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, agreeing to refund the full N4.8 million to the ICPC recovery account. Additionally, on October 29, 2025, they pleaded guilty to a one-count amended charge of making false statements under section 25 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

The court sentenced each defendant to pay a fine of N100,000 after making full restitution to the Commission’s recovery account.