The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned a former Court of Appeal staff member, Munirat Abdulazeez, before a Federal Capital Territory High Court, Bwari, over her alleged involvement in a job racketeering in Nigeria scam.
The defendant was brought before Justice Godwin Iheabunke, who had, last Wednesday, ordered her arrest after she failed to appear in court to take her plea in the suit filed against her by the ICPC.
According to the ICPC, the defendant was arraigned for her alleged role in job racketeering in Nigeria, wherein she promised her victims non-existent positions with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The Commission’s investigation further revealed that Mrs Abdulazeez, who was employed with the Court of Appeal from 2018 until her dismissal in 2023 due to her involvement in this racketeering and auction fraud, obtained, by false pretence, the total sum of ₦9,200,000 from eight unsuspecting job seekers between September 2022 and July 2023. This offence is contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006.
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One of the counts reads:
“That you, MUNIRAT ABDULAZEEZ (AKA JUMMAI) (F), sometime between September and December 2022 and from January to July 2023, or thereabout, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being a staff member of the Court of Appeal Nigeria, Abuja Division, with intent to defraud, did obtain by false pretence the sum of ₦9,200,000 only from Musa Mohammed Maude and his friends, including Sule Sadanu, Haruna Idris Lokos, Yusuf Musa, Mahmud Jibrin, Adama Mohammed Maude, Shuaibu Musa, Ahmed Sunusi, and Aliyu Ahmed. The said sum was paid into your Access Bank account (Account Number: 1496346113) under the guise of securing employment for them in NIMASA, CBN, and FIRS. You thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006.”
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty when the two-count charge was read to her.
In light of the not-guilty plea entered by the defendant, counsel to the ICPC, Mr Hamza Sani, applied for the court to maintain the previously fixed date of 13th June 2025 to allow the prosecution to present its witnesses.
A bail application filed on behalf of the defendant was not opposed by the ICPC, which expressed its readiness to proceed with the hearing.
Justice Iheabunke granted the defendant bail in the sum of ₦10 million, with two sureties in like sum. The sureties, according to the judge, “must have landed property within the jurisdiction of the court and must deposit the title documents with the Court Registrar, to be verified by the Registrar. The defendant must also write to the court formally should she wish to travel.”
The matter was subsequently adjourned to 20th June 2025 for the prosecution to present all its witnesses. The court also vacated the earlier date, in line with the agreement between the counsels, as indicated in a statement signed by Demola Bakare, Director of Public Enlightenment and Education/Spokesperson for the Commission, and made available to journalists on Saturday.
This case further underscores the persistent issue of job racketeering in Nigeria, a practice that continues to exploit desperate job seekers under the false promise of employment.
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