Court sentences ex-FGGC Jalingo bursar to 4 years imprisonment for N16.5m fraud
A Taraba State High Court, Jalingo, on Thursday sentenced a former bursar of Federal Government Girls’ College (FGGC), Ezekiel Oparinde, to four years imprisonment for N16.5 million fraud.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, had arraigned the convict on a three-count charge bordering on financial fraud.
The ICPC had alleged that Oparinde in 2011 awarded a contract to renovate a burnt bursar’s quarters in the school to his personal company, Rajoseph Nigeria Enterprise for N3,787,000.
Within the same year, Oparinde also awarded contract for the completion of a perimeter fence in the school to another of his companies, Taidebo Nigeria Enterprise for N7,721,731.
The prosecution also accused Oparinde of awarding a contract to his company, Rajoseph Nigeria Enterprise to renovate a dilapidated block of Agriculture Laboratory for N5,000,000 while still being bursar of FGGC in 2014.
The offenses are said to have contravened Section 12 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
The convict had pleaded guilty to all the charges when he was arraigned in November, 2021.
His lawyer, Umaru Fonga had however pleaded with the court to consider the fact that the convict was a first time offender; a senior citizen whose health was failing; as well as his status as a husband and father of five to tamper justice with mercy.
Delivering judgment, Justice F.J. Agya sentenced the convict to one-year imprisonment with an option of a N100,000 fine on counts one and two, and two years in jail or an option of N150,000 fine on count three.
