Mother of five jailed one year for forging Buhari’s CoS signature

The Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Gwagwalada, Abuja has sentenced a mother of five children, Ramat Mercy Mba, to one-year imprisonment for her involvement in an employment scam.

Mba also forged the signature of the late Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to the former President, Muhammadu Buhari.

The presiding judge, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, had last week deferred the sentencing of the convict till Thursday but directed that she should be remanded in Suleja Correctional Centre.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission had arraigned Mba in June 2022 on a 5-count bordering on cheating, fraud and forgery contrary to Section 13 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and Sections 320 (b), 366 of the Penal Code Cap 89 laws of Northern Nigeria.

In the course of the trial, the commission, through its prosecutor, Hamza Sani, had led Mba in evidence before the court on how the convict committed the offence sometime in 2020 when she collected N4.5 million from several job seekers promising to secure jobs for them with the ICPC and National Air Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).

Also, the documentary evidence tendered showed that the convict fraudulently forged a letterhead of the Office of the Chief of Staff to former President Buhari and his signature.

The letter, addressed to the ICPC Chairman, was a request for the recruitment of three individuals by the commission.

However, the late CoS, in a written correspondence that was also tendered in court as an exhibit, distanced himself or his office from authorising the letter.

The trial judge, Justice Muhammad, in his judgment on May 9, 2024 convicted the mother of five children on counts 1, 2, 3 and 5 that border on cheating and forgery while she was discharged on count 4 which borders on felony.

Justice Muhammad during the sentencing on Thursday pronounced a six-month jail term or N100,000 option of fine on counts 1, 2 and 3 on the convict.

The presiding judge, who stressed the status of the convict as a first-time offender and a mother, also sentenced her to one-year imprisonment or N150,000 option on fine on count 5 which borders on forgery.