The Executive Secretary of the Adamawa Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, Mr Jinga Mayo, has been convicted by Adamawa State High Court.
Justice Nathan Musa, in his judgement, directed Mr Mayo to spend the next five years behind bars for converting the sum of N69.2 million received to execute pilgrim operations in Israel to his personal use.
The convict was before the court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on a three-count charge for embezzlement, and for making false statement.
In count one, he was charged for knowingly furnishing false return of the sum of N69,198,600.00 received by him to pay committee members of the Adamawa State Christian Pilgrims Board for 2016 pilgrims operations in Israel, which he did not pay but for which he returned duly signed payment vouchers and acknowledgement of receipts of the payment by each member of the said committee when in fact he did not made such payment, contrary to and punishable under Section 16 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.
In count two, he was accused of conferring corrupt advantage upon himself, contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, when he received the sum of N69,198,600.00 cash from the Board’s Accounts Department in order to pay the committee members of the Adamawa State Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board for 2016 pilgrims exercise in Israel which he did not pay but converted to his personal use and falsely claimed that the said money was used to pay for an agricultural training conducted in Israel.
While In count three, Mr Mayo was charged for knowingly making false statement to an officer of the ICPC, contrary to section 25 (1 (a) and punishable under Section 25 (1 (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.
In his judgement, Justice Nathan Musa, found him guilty only on two counts and acquitted him on one. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment on the 2nd count without an option of fine, and 6 months imprisonment on the 3rd count with an option of N50,000. He is, however, to spend five years in prison, as the sentence is to run concurrently.
After the judgement, the convict was immediately transferred to officials of Adamawa State correctional facilities in Jimeta by the operatives of the commission.
Adedapo Adesanya