ICPC arraigns NIS Officer over N17.6m multi-agency salary fraud
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has arraigned an Assistant Superintendent of Immigration with the Nigerian Immigration Service, Abubakar Aseku for allegedly receiving salaries from two additional government agencies while still employed by the NIS.
Aseku was brought before Justice Binta Dogonyaro of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja, on Tuesday, facing a nine-count charge bordering on abuse of office and corruption.
In a statement on Wednesday, by the ICPC’s spokesman, Demola Bakare, the NIS officer allegedly received N4.2m in salaries from the Nasarawa State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in 2015 while serving as a school teacher despite being an active officer of the NIS.
Bakare also said Aseku was accused of illegally drawing N13.4m in salaries from the Department of Petroleum Resources between 2018 and 2019 while still under the employment of the Immigration Service.
Bakare added that as a Pay Officer with the NIS, Aseku allegedly facilitated the payment of N4.7m in salaries to seven individuals who were neither employees of the NIS nor on its payroll.
One of the charges contained in the statement read in part, “That you, Abubakar Mohammed Aseku, between October 2018 and October 2019, in Abuja, while serving as an Assistant Superintendent Immigration Officer, used your position to confer corrupt advantage upon yourself by receiving a total sum of N13,400,889.90 in salaries from the Department of Petroleum Resources, while concurrently employed by the Nigerian Immigration Service, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.”
Bakare said Aseku pleaded not guilty to all charges.
He said his counsel, Basil Hemba, urged the court to uphold the bail conditions previously granted by another FCT High Court in Maitama.
Bakare said Justice Dogonyaro agreed to maintain the existing bail terms and adjourned the case to April 29, 2025, for further hearing.
