ICPC arraigns Yobe civil servant over alleged extortion, forgery, impersonation

A civil servant working with the Yobe State Government, Mohammed Ali Garba has been arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), for offences bordering on extortion, impersonation and forgery.

According to the anti-corruption agency, Garba was arraigned before Justice M.A. Hassan of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Abuja.

The Commission is alleging that the defendant forged a letter concerning an ongoing investigation against the Provost of the Federal Cooperative College, Oji River, purportedly signed by the Commission’s Director of Operations.

He was docked in charge No: CR/478/2022 filed before the trial court.

It further alleged that the accused person used the fake letter of investigation activities to extort the sum of Three Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira from the said provost in the guise that he was going to settle the Director of Operations to “kill the non-existent investigation.”

ICPC also disclosed that his offences are contrary to, and punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code Act, and sections 10 and 25 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

The accused person pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were read to him. His counsel, A.D. Atanda and M.K. Akanbi, thereafter raised a bail application, which was not opposed by the prosecution counsel, Mashkur Salisu.

The matter was therefore adjourned to the 15th of January, 2023, for determination of the bail application.

Meanwhile, the Judge ordered the administrative bail earlier granted him by the commission to subsist.