The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured the conviction of Lukumanu Sani Waziri, an accountant at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital in Sokoto, for embezzling over N60 million through the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).
Waziri was found guilty of corruption and abuse of office after using unauthorized access to GIFMIS to divert public funds into private accounts, including his own and that of his accomplice, Monday Adejo.
In 2021, Waziri was charged alongside two others in a nine-count fraud case before Justice M. Abdulgafar of the Federal High Court in Sokoto. During the trial, the ICPC prosecutor, Dr. Osuobeni Akponimisingha, presented evidence showing how Waziri manipulated financial records and facilitated the illegal transfer of government funds into private accounts.
One of the charges revealed that Waziri and Adejo conspired to steal over N20 million from GIFMIS and transferred it into Adejo’s First Bank account. Waziri also altered bank account details for state taxes, diverting funds meant for Kogi, Edo, Bauchi, and Zamfara States into Adejo’s account.
On Friday, Justice Abdulgafar found Waziri guilty on seven out of the nine charges. The court sentenced him to one year in prison or a fine of N200,000 for counts 1 and 2, one year in prison for counts 3, 4, and 5 without the option of a fine, and three years in prison or a fine of N500,000 for counts 8 and 9. The sentences are to run concurrently.
