CASE NUMBER 10948:

Supreme Court affirms six years jail term, N22.9bn fine for pension thief, John Yakubu

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Alleged Perpetrators(s)

John Yusufu Yakubu

Location (Town / State)

FCT, Abuja

Date of Event

13 Apr 2022

Date of republication

13 April every year

Case category (Choose all that apply)

Case Summary

The Supreme Court affirmed John Yusufu Yakubu's sentence of six years in prison and a N22.9 billion fine for stealing N25 billion from the police pension fund.

Full story

The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, upheld a sentence of six years jail term with a N22.9 billion fine for an official, John Yusufu Yakubu, who stole N25 billion in the police pension fund.
The Abuja Court of Appeal's 2018 sentence-imposition ruling was unanimously upheld by a five-member court panel. Tijjani Abubakar, who read the Supreme Court's lead decision, agreed that the N22.9 billion fine and six years in prison were appropriate punishments given the seriousness of the offense and the impact it will have on the victims—retired police officers.
The lower court's decision must be completely endorsed, Mr. Abubakar said, adding that "victims have a right to compensation." He referred to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja's January 2013 ruling, which first sentenced the pension thief to two years in prison with the possibility of receiving N750,000 in restitution, as a mere slap on the wrist. The penalty given by the High Court, according to Mr. Abubakar, was meager and minor. A severe sentence that would deter the further commission of such a crime and prevent the convict from retaining any part of what he stole to prevent him from obtaining financial benefit from his crime should be imposed, said Mr. Abubakar, echoing the words of the Court of Appeal. "Considering the humongous amount stolen, the nature and gravity of the crime, its destructive effect on the country, its impact on retired police officers, and the grave breach of public trust."
The judge sentenced Mr. Yakubu to two years in prison for each of the three counts on which he was found guilty after vacating the High Court's judgments. He stipulated that the sentences run consecutively, thus the offender would serve a total of six years in prison.
In addition to the prison sentences associated with each of the three individual offenses, Mr. Agim also imposed fines of N20 billion, N1.4 billion, and N1.5 billion on the convict. Mr. Yakubu's attempt to have the Court of Appeal's ruling overturned by the Supreme Court on Wednesday was unsuccessful.

Photo Credit: https://independent.ng/police-pension-thief-john-yusuf-jailed-six-years-fined-n22-9bn/

External links/URLs

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/523570-updated-supreme-court-affirms-six-years-jail-term-n22-9bn-fine-for-pension-thief-john-yakubu.html
https://punchng.com/just-in-supreme-court-affirms-six-year-jail-term-for-ex-pension-director-yakubu/

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