ICPC Arraigns Ex-Court Of Appeal Staff For ₦9.2m Job Scam, Promising Fake Jobs In CBN, FIRS, NIMASA

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned a former staff member of the Court of Appeal, Munirat Abdulazeez, before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Bwari over her alleged involvement in a ₦9.2 million job racketeering scam.

Abdulazeez, also known as Jummai, was arraigned before Justice Godwin Iheabunke, who had earlier ordered her arrest after she failed to appear in court to take her plea.

The ICPC accused Abdulazeez of defrauding multiple job seekers between September 2022 and July 2023 under the guise of securing them employment in top government agencies, including the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The Commission revealed that the accused, who worked with the Court of Appeal from 2018 until her dismissal in 2023, obtained a total sum of ₦9,200,000 from eight victims: Musa Mohammed Maude, Sule Sadanu, Haruna Idris Lokos, Yusuf Musa, Mahmud Jibrin, Adama Mohammed Maude, Shuaibu Musa, Ahmed Sunusi, and Aliyu Ahmed.

One of the charges reads:
“That you, MUNIRAT ABDULAZEEZ (AKA JUMMAI), sometime between September to December 2022 and January to July 2023, while being a staff of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, with intent to defraud, did obtain by false pretence the sum of ₦9,200,000 from Musa Mohammed Maude and others, paid into your Access Bank account, under the pretext of securing jobs for them at NIMASA, CBN, and FIRS. You thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1)(a) and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.”

Abdulazeez pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge.

In response, ICPC counsel, Hamza Sani, urged the court to retain the previously set trial date of June 13, 2025, to allow the prosecution to call its witnesses. He did not oppose the defendant’s bail application.

Justice Iheabunke subsequently granted Abdulazeez bail in the sum of ₦10 million with two sureties in like sum. The sureties must possess landed property within the court’s jurisdiction, with title documents to be deposited and verified by the court registrar.

The judge also directed that the defendant must obtain the court’s permission in writing before travelling for any reason.

The case was adjourned to June 20, 2025, for trial after vacating the earlier trial date to accommodate scheduling adjustments by both parties.