A senior magistrate court in Minna, Niger State, has sentenced a staff of the Niger State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Abdullahi Mohammed, to one year in prison for diverting pilgrims’ funds amounting to N8, 130, 000.
Mohammed was convicted, having admitted to collecting the amount from four intending pilgrims in the state and diverting the money into his personal use.
The police prosecutor, Inspector Jibril Ahmed, earlier told the court that Mohammed collected the said amount from four intending pilgrims for the 2022 Hajj but refused to pay the money.
He said the offences, bordering on criminal breach of trust and cheating, contravened sections 312 and 323 of the Panel Code.
Niger civil servant jailed 1 year for diverting intending pilgrims’ money
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Delivering the judgement, the senior magistrate, Ibrahim Musa Zago, sentenced Mohammed to 12 months’ imprisonment with an option of N50,000 fine.
He was also ordered to refund the sum of N8,130, 000 to the plaintiffs.
