Court convicts MMC Deputy Director of Finance for collecting ghost pension

The State High Court thirteen presided over by Justice Fadawu Umaru in Maiduguri has on Wednesday convicted one Aisata Abba Kwana on a-two count charge for obtaining by false pretence funds to the tune of N3. 278, 216.20.
Aisha Kwanan who is a Deputy director of finance in the Maiduguri Metropolitan council MMC was alleged to be drawing the pension of his late brother thereby committing an offence before the law.
While sentencing the convict, Justice Fadawu averred that “The convict is hereby sentenced to one-year imprisonment on two counts charge prepared against her with a fine of N250, 000.00.
He further stated that “The convict should compensate the complainants the remaining balance of N870, 000.00, in default of which she will serve six months imprisonment to be run consecutively”.
Trouble started for the convict Aisha when she was -arraigned on a two court charge after the Commission received a petition from Waziri’s kids in which she was alleged to have fraudulently collected the pension of her late brother Waziri Abba Kwana from May 2013 up to his last pension.
“Aisata presented the deceased as a living person while she knew he is dead and collected his gratuity cheques in February 2017 while she dishonestly presented a purported authority letter from the deceased without the knowledge and consent of his family members.”
The charge according to spokesman of the Commission Jemilu Sale read: “That you Aisata Abba Kwana between May 2013 and January 2017 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud did obtain the sum of N 1,640,726.55, which you withdrew from account number LG 052 domiciled with Bank of Agriculture Maiduguri, maintained by Late Waziri Abba Kwana, under the false pretence that the said Late Waziri Abba Kwana was still alive and such withdrawals were authorized by him as payment of his pension which fact you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence Contrary to Section 320(a) of the Borno State Penal Code Law Cap. 102 and punishable under Section 322 of the same Law.”
The children of the late Waziri who petitioned their aunty for collecting ghost pension said that their father had died since May 16, 2013, before their aunt used her privileged position as a finance officer to bring him alive through fraudulent methods to make money.