Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday sentenced a former accountant in the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, Garba Abdullahi Tahir, to 21 years imprisonment for stealing N26.1 million meant for pensioners.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Abdullahi on an amended seven-count charge of money laundering.
The EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, who confirmed the development in a statement in Abuja, said the offence contravened Section 14(1)(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and was punishable under section 14(1) of the same Act.
He said: “The judge sentenced the defendant to three years imprisonment on each of the seven counts. The sentences are however to run concurrently, from April 3, 2023.
“The case is a part of the billion naira pension fraud in the Office of the Head of Service of Federation, for which a number of civil servants were investigated over 10 years ago, and charged to court by the EFCC.”
