Ex-Legislative Aide Bags 8-yr Prison Term For Duping 60 Job Seekers Of N120.5m

The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC], connected Monday, September 22, 2025, secured the condemnation and sentencing of a erstwhile legislative adjutant and banker, Mr. Goni Yilkan, for offences bordering connected obtaining by mendacious pretence to the tune of N120.5 cardinal earlier Justice F. E Messiri of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting successful Jabi, Abuja.

Yilkan, who hails from Nguru, Yobe State, was recovered blameworthy connected a two-count complaint of obtaining wealth by mendacious pretence, contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable nether Section 1(3) of the aforesaid Act, and consequently sentenced to 8 years imprisonment without enactment of fine.

The convict was arraigned alongside 1 Mohammed Adamu successful October 2023, pursuing investigations into a petitioner’s claims of being defrauded by the convict.

According to the petitioner, Yilkan deceived her betwixt 2020 and 2021 into believing that helium had the capableness to unafraid employment slots successful authorities agencies specified arsenic the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). On this strength, the petitioner collected varying sums of wealth from implicit 60 jobseekers, amounting to N120,580,550.00, which she allegedly remitted to the convict.

However, the purported employment offers ne'er materiali#ed, prompting Bello to petition the EFCC.

One of the charges read: “That you, Mohammed Goni Yilkan, Mohammed Adamu and others astatine ample betwixt 3rd January 2020 and December 2021 successful Abuja wrong the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N120, 580, 550 (One Hundred and Twenty Million, Five Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Five Hundred and Fifty Naira) from Mrs. Hindatu Bello nether the mendacious pretence that you had the capableness to unafraid jobs for her candidates successful assorted Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria which pretence you knew to beryllium mendacious and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable nether Section 1(3) of the aforesaid Act.”

In the people of the trial, the prosecution, led by Cosmas Ugwu, called six witnesses and tendered documentary evidence, portion the defence, led by J.A. Oguche, presented 2 witnesses, including Yilkan himself.

In his judgment, Justice Messiri held that the prosecution had proved its lawsuit beyond tenable doubt, convicted Yilkan, but discharged and acquitted his co-defendant, Adamu. The justice further sentenced Yilkan to eight-year imprisonment without an enactment of fine.

Yilkan’s travel to the Correctional Centre began erstwhile helium collected the sum of N120.5million from hopeless occupation seekers successful the guise of offering them slots of employment. He neither offered them the jobs nor returned their wealth to them.