Witness testifies against NSCDC officers over job scam

The trial of two officials of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mainasara Malami and Emmanuel Salihu continued on Thursday, November 21, 2019 before Justice Umar Dogon Daji of the Sokoto State High Court, Sokoto, with a prosecution witness, narrating how he was scammed with a fake job offer by one of the defendants.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the duo on a two-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N2.7million from unsuspecting members of the public in the guise of assisting them secure employment with the NSCDC.

.At Thursday resume hearing on the matter, the third prosecution witness (PW3), Usman Ibrahim, while being led in evidence by prosecution counsel S.H. Sa’ad narrated how Malami approached him in 2016 with a promise of securing employment for him in NSCDC, demanding the sum of N150,000 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira), of which he said he transferred a part payment of N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) to the defendant’s Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) account after selling his motorcycle.

Ibrahim further informed the court that the defendant invited him few days after the payment to come and collect his employment formalization documents, which he said included his name, identification number, venue and date of his training, purported to take place in Katsina on the condition that he paid the N50,000 (Fifty Thousand Naira) balance, which according to him, he paid instantly.

“The following morning I left for Katsina. On approaching Katsina, the defendant called me to come back, stating that there was a problem, so I do a u-turn. I was later informed that he was arrested and all efforts to get my money back proved abortive. I then reported the case to the EFCC,” the witness stated.

The fake documents, bearing the witnes’s name, venue and time of the purported NSCDC training were admitted by the court as exhibit.

Justice Daji adjourned the case until December 19, 2019 for continuation of trial.