The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has successfully convicted Lukumanu Sani Waziri, an accountant at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital in Sokoto, for embezzling over N60 million through unauthorized access to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).
Found guilty of corruption and abuse of office, Waziri was sentenced to various prison terms totaling three years or fines.
The court’s decision followed evidence presented during a trial that revealed how he diverted public funds into private accounts, including those of his accomplice, Monday Adejo.
A statement released on Sunday by Demola Bakare, spokesman for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), revealed that in 2021, Lukumanu Sani Waziri was charged alongside two others in a nine-count fraud case before Justice M. Abdulgafar at the Federal High Court in Sokoto.
During the trial, ICPC prosecutor Dr. Osuobeni Akponimisingha presented evidence demonstrating how Waziri manipulated financial records and facilitated the illegal transfer of government funds into private accounts.
“One of the charges detailed how Waziri and Adejo conspired to steal over N20m from GIFMIS and divert it into Adejo’s First Bank account. Waziri also changed bank account details for state taxes, redirecting funds meant for Kogi, Edo, Bauchi, and Zamfara States into Adejo’s account,” the statement added.
Bakare also added that “The court sentenced him to one year in prison or a fine of N200,000 for counts 1 and 2, one year in prison for counts 3, 4, and 5 without an option of fine, and three years in prison or a fine of N500,000 for counts 8 and 9. The sentences will run concurrently,” he added.
