How Corps member, student diverted N9m fees from university site

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday, arraigned a corps member, Nazim Usman Gomna, and a 400 level student of Al-Hikmah University, Idris Shuaibu Suleiman, over alleged theft.

The defendants were arraigned on a three-count charge of conspiracy and theft before Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin.

Nasim and Idris allegedly hacked the website of the Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, and diverted students’ school fees to the tune of N9.1million.

Nazim graduated as a Computer Scientist from the university and is serving at the Jigawa State House of Assembly.

He allegedly connived with Idris to hack the university’s website using the latter’s account details to collect tuition fees illegally from students.

The crime perpetrated between March 2020 and May 2020, is contrary to Section 96 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 97 and 287 of the same Penal Code.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the three counts.

EFCC, Sesan Ola, asked the court for a date to commence trial and an order to remand the defendants in prison custody.

Defense counsels, A. T. Kamaldeen and Ismail Mustapha urged the court to admit their clients to bail pending trial and determination of the case.

Justice Oyinloye admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N3.5million each with one surety in like sum.

The surety must be resident within the jurisdiction of this court and must provide telephone contacts, residential address, recent passport photographs.

The judge also ordered the defendants to submit their travel documents to the court.

In another development, the EFCC secured the conviction of Mohammed Abdulwahab, who pleaded guilty to a 3-count charge of romance scam preferred against him.

Mohammed, who claimed to be Jessica Carmen, in December 2020, in Ilorin, used jessicacarmen440@gmail.com to induce one Mert Usul to make payment to a car pick-up company while he had no intention to purchase any car.

The offense was contrary to Section 95 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the same Penal Code.

Justice Oyinloye said from the evidence before the court, the defendant engaged in an online romance scam.

The judge sentenced Mohammed to six months imprisonment on each of the counts with an option of a fine of N50,000.

He ordered that the phone and laptop used to perpetrate the crime be forfeited to the Federal Government.