A Federal High Court sitting Abuja has sentenced a former banker and Legislative Aide (lawmaker unnamed), Mr. Goni Yilkan to eight years imprisonment for defrauding job seekers the sum of N120.5 million.
Yilkan had floated a fake employment facilitation scheme where he promised desperate job seekers employment in choice federal government agencies including the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Niger Delta Development Commission and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Narrating the court process that led to the conviction of Yilkan, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ilorin Zonal Directorate in a statement on Tuesday stated that the conviction by Justice F. E. Messiri of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Jabi, Abuja, followed a five-year trial.
Goni Yilkan, a native of Nguru, Yobe State, was arraigned before the court in October 2023 alongside one Mohammed Adamu following a petition by one Hajiya Hindatu Bello.
The EFCC revealed that between 2020 and 2021, the convict deceived Hajiya Bello into believing he could secure jobs in choice federal government agencies and subsequently collected money from over about 70 job seekers and remitted N120,580,550 to Yilkan.
However, despite the payments, the promised jobs were never secured, a situation that prompted Bello to petition the Yilkan to the EFCC.
the EFCC stated that the prosecution, led by Cosmas Ugwu, called six witnesses and tendered documents, while the defence, led by J. A. Oguche, called two witnesses, including Yilkan himself.
Delivering judgement on Tuesday, Honourable Justice Messiri ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, acquitted Adamu, but convicted Yilkan.
he court sentenced him to eight years in prison without an option of fine after rejecting his plea for leniency. The EFCC added that the convict had not refunded his victims and still held on to the illicit funds.
The EFCC emphasized that “The conviction [of Yilkan] brings to an end a five-year case of deceit and betrayal of trust.”
