A former Special Assistant to the Chairman, Giwa Local Council, Kaduna State, Hassan Dauda, has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for his involvement in an N6.3m Hajj fraud.
Dauda, who was charged before the Kaduna State High Court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) was accused of defrauding eight persons of N6,342,000.
ICPC had, in a 16-count charge of obtaining by false pretense, abuse of office and forgery filed before Justice M. T. Aliyu, accused Dauda of using his position as a Special Assistant to the Chairman of Giwa Local Council to defraud unsuspecting victims in the guise of securing Hajj seats for them in 2013, an offence punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.
In his ruling, Justice Aliyu found him guilty on the counts relating to obtaining by false pretense and sentenced him to 7 years without an option of a fine.
Spokesperson, ICPC, Azuka Ogugua, in a statement, yesterday, said Dauda was also convicted on the counts relating to abuse of office and got five years imprisonment without an option of fine. He was discharged and acquitted on the counts relating to forgery.
Reading the sentence, the judge stated that ICPC were able to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, adding that the sentence would run concurrently.
The convict was arrested by ICPC operatives in October 2013 following a petition and was arraigned in May 2015 after the conclusion of investigations.
