A federal high court in Sokoto has convicted Lukumanu Sani Waziri, an accountant at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), for diverting N60 million in public funds.
The court sentenced Waziri to various prison terms on seven counts of fraud and corruption brought against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Waziri was arraigned on a nine-count charge, with the ICPC alleging that he manipulated the government-integrated financial information system (GIFMIS) to transfer public funds into private accounts, including his own and that of one Monday Michael Adejo.
Prosecutor Osuobeni Akponimisingha detailed how Waziri conspired with Adejo to divert over N20.6 million into a private First Bank account in April 2020.
The charges cited violations of Sections 18 and 15 (1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended), punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same law.
Delivering judgment, Justice M. Abdulgafar convicted Waziri on seven counts. The court sentenced him to one year imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 each for counts one and two.
For counts three to five, Waziri received a mandatory one-year prison term without the option of a fine. On counts eight and nine, he was sentenced to three years imprisonment or a fine of N500,000 each.
The ICPC welcomed the judgment, describing it as a victory in the fight against corruption in public institutions.
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