A former nominee to the board of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr. Saad Alanamu and Salman Sulaiman have been sentenced to jail for 24 years for collecting and giving a bribe.

Dr. Alanamu was also a former Chairman of the Governing Council of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, and Sulaiman is the Chief Executive Director of Namylas Nig. Ltd.

According to a statement on the website of ICPC, the convicts had earlier been arraigned before Honourable Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of Kwara State High Court 9 sitting in Ilorin on eight counts of bribery.

Part of the statement said, “The offences contravened sections 8 (1) (a), 9 (1) (a), 10 (a) (i), 18 (b), 19 and 22 (1) (a) (i) and punishable under sections 8 (1) (a) (ii), 9 (1) (b), 10 (a) (ii), 18 (d), 19, and 22 (6) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 respectively. They had pleaded not guilty to all the charges brought against them.

“Dr. Alanamu who was nominated into the Board of ICPC in 2017 but was later dropped on an allegation of corruption which the Commission was investigating, was charged for collecting N5,000,000:0 million bribe from a contractor friend of his as kickback for the award of a contract.

“Sulaiman, on the other hand, was accused of bribing a government official when he paid the said sum of money into Alanamu’s Guaranty Trust Bank account as a reward for the award of contract to his company.

“Counsel to ICPC had averred that Namylas Nig. Ltd had submitted falsified and doctored documents during the bidding process.

“The court was also informed of how Alanamu ensured that the contract for the construction and furnishing of an auditorium in Kwara State Polytechnic, at the cost of N182,369,625:00,was awarded to a company belonging to his friend when it was not qualified to execute the contract.

“The prosecution, having established very strong evidence of collusion, bid rigging and corrupt practices against the accused, urged the court to mete out appropriate sanctions to them.

“Having considered the totality of evidence adduced by the prosecution in the course of the trial, and recognizing that it had discharged the burden of proof placed upon it by law beyond reasonable doubt, the trial judge in his ruling, found Dr. Alanamu guilty and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment on counts 2 and 3, and five years with hard labour on counts 1, 4, and 5, without an option of fine.

“He was also ordered to pay the sum of N25 million pursuant to Section 20 of the ICPC law which states: “Without prejudice to any sentence of imprisonment imposed under this Act, a Public Officer or other person found guilty of soliciting, offering or receiving gratification shall forfeit the gratification and pay a fine of not less than five times the sum of the value of the gratification which is the subject-matter of the offence…”

“Justice Abdulgafar further found Sulaiman guilty on counts 5 and 6, and sentenced him to five and seven years imprisonment respectively. The third defendant which is the company has been ordered to pay a fine of N1 million.

“All the sentences are to run concurrently.”

A former nominee to the board of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr. Saad Alanamu and Salman Sulaiman have been sentenced to jail for 24 years for collecting and giving a bribe.

Dr. Alanamu was also a former Chairman of the Governing Council of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, and Sulaiman is the Chief Executive Director of Namylas Nig. Ltd.

According to a statement on the website of ICPC, the convicts had earlier been arraigned before Honourable Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of Kwara State High Court 9 sitting in Ilorin on eight counts of bribery.

Part of the statement said, “The offences contravened sections 8 (1) (a), 9 (1) (a), 10 (a) (i), 18 (b), 19 and 22 (1) (a) (i) and punishable under sections 8 (1) (a) (ii), 9 (1) (b), 10 (a) (ii), 18 (d), 19, and 22 (6) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 respectively. They had pleaded not guilty to all the charges brought against them.

“Dr. Alanamu who was nominated into the Board of ICPC in 2017 but was later dropped on an allegation of corruption which the Commission was investigating, was charged for collecting N5,000,000:0 million bribe from a contractor friend of his as kickback for the award of a contract.

“Sulaiman, on the other hand, was accused of bribing a government official when he paid the said sum of money into Alanamu’s Guaranty Trust Bank account as a reward for the award of contract to his company.

“Counsel to ICPC had averred that Namylas Nig. Ltd had submitted falsified and doctored documents during the bidding process.

“The court was also informed of how Alanamu ensured that the contract for the construction and furnishing of an auditorium in Kwara State Polytechnic, at the cost of N182,369,625:00,was awarded to a company belonging to his friend when it was not qualified to execute the contract.

“The prosecution, having established very strong evidence of collusion, bid rigging and corrupt practices against the accused, urged the court to mete out appropriate sanctions to them.

“Having considered the totality of evidence adduced by the prosecution in the course of the trial, and recognizing that it had discharged the burden of proof placed upon it by law beyond reasonable doubt, the trial judge in his ruling, found Dr. Alanamu guilty and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment on counts 2 and 3, and five years with hard labour on counts 1, 4, and 5, without an option of fine.

“He was also ordered to pay the sum of N25 million pursuant to Section 20 of the ICPC law which states: “Without prejudice to any sentence of imprisonment imposed under this Act, a Public Officer or other person found guilty of soliciting, offering or receiving gratification shall forfeit the gratification and pay a fine of not less than five times the sum of the value of the gratification which is the subject-matter of the offence…”

“Justice Abdulgafar further found Sulaiman guilty on counts 5 and 6, and sentenced him to five and seven years imprisonment respectively. The third defendant which is the company has been ordered to pay a fine of N1 million.

“All the sentences are to run concurrently.”

President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to the death of the President of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Francis Johnson.

In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President said he received the news with deep sadness.

247NNU had reported that the President of PENGASSAN, Francis Johnson, has died at the wee hours of Friday.

The President said he joins PENGASSAN and all labour unions in the country in mourning the “visionary leader, whose good nature, understanding and forthrightness helped in improving the welfare of workers, and contributed immensely to the stability witnessed in the oil sector.”

Buhari affirmed that “Johnson’s broadmindedness and generosity of spirit by always putting the nation first before all pecuniary gains shaped ease of relationship and smooth operations in the oil sector between employers and workers, recognising his wise and considerate positions in all negotiations.”

He believes the “labour leader’s demise is a collective loss to the family, labour movement and the entire nation,” urging all loved ones to “find solace in the legacy of sacrifice, diligence and patriotism he left behind, especially in speaking up for the voiceless and underprivileged.”

President Buhari prayed that “the Almighty God will accept the soul of the departed, and comfort the family.”

The President, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Mr. Francis Johnson, has died.

Johnson, it was learnt, died in the wee hours of Friday.

The deceased, who became President of the union in 2014, was said to have passed on after an ailment.

The General Secretary of PENGASSAN , Okugbawa Lumumba, confirmed the development to our correspondent on the telephone.

Lumumba said members of the union were on their way to pay a condolence visit to the family, adding that a statement would be issued later.