Consultant bags 2 years, to refund N55m

Andrew Orolua, Abuja

Kaduna State High Court has sentenced a pension consultant one Mohammed Ibrahim Sodangi to four months in prison for his role in N65.5 million fraud. Justice Darius Khobo convicted Sodangi who was facing 13-count charge bordering on impersonation and theft to the tune of N65.5 million. The judge sentenced the convict on count one to three months in prison with an option of N100,000 fine for the offence of impersonation. He was also convicted and sentenced to 48 months in prison: Four months each on count two to 13 but all are to run concurrently and he was ordered to pay the sum of N100,000 on each count, cumulative of N1.2 million as restitution. Justice Khobo also ordered a mandatory four months in prison and that he should refund the sum of over N55million by way of Bank Draft through the EFCC to the Kaduna State Pension Bureau. Sodangi’s road to jail began when the Commission received a petition by a group, Movement for Better Future, which alleged massive fraud in the Kaduna State Pension Bureau. It was alleged that the then management of the Bureau conspired with the consultant to steal pension fund through enrolment of ghost pensioners. The defendant was arraigned on May 15, 2015 on a 13-count charge bordering on impersonating and theft to the tune of N65.5 million. One of the count reads: “That you, Mohammed Ibrahim Sodangi, being a Consultant engaged by the Kaduna State Government to undertake the Computerization of the Kaduna State Pension payroll, sometime between August 2012 and December, 2012 at Kaduna in the Kaduna Judicial Division of the High Court of Kaduna State did take dishonestly the sum of N9,937,163.34 (Nine Million, Nine Hundred and Thirty Seven Thousand, One Hundred and Sixty Three Naira Thirty Four Kobo) only, property of the Kaduna State Pension Bureau without its consent by enlisting your name into the Pension payroll and which said sum were paid into your Keystone Bank Plc Kaduna main branch and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 287 of the Penal Code Law of Kaduna State of Nigeria.” He pleaded “not guilty” to the charge and during trial, EFCC presented five witnesses who testified while the defence presented three witnesses. At the resume hearing on February 21, 2019 prosecuting counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, informed the court that the case was slated for judgement. Defence counsel, A.S. Moyosore, urged the court to temper justice with mercy, pleading that his client was a first-time offender and has many dependants.