A FORMER Vice Chancellor of Federal University Gusau (FUGUS), Magaji Garba, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison by a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.
The court presided by Justice Maryam Hassan Aliyu found Garba guilty of a five-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and forgery filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
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The EFCC called witnesses and tendered documents, which were admitted in evidence, before closing its case on December 14, 2021.
Delivering judgment, the trial judge said the court was satisfied that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Justice Aliyu pronounced the defendant “guilty” on the five counts and sentenced him to seven years on counts 1-3 without the option of a fine.
The judge handed the convict a seven-year sentence on counts 4 and 5, with the option of N10 million fine for each count.
The EFCC had accused Garba of extorting various sums from a contractor on the pretext of awarding him a N3 billion contract for the school’s perimeter fencing.
The action was contrary to Section 1 (1) (a), and punishable under Section 1 (3), of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
The EFCC said Garba, on or about May 15, 2019, in Abuja, obtained N100 million from Alhaji Shehu Umar Sambo, Managing Director of Ministaco Nigeria Limited.
Garba was also accused obtaining another N150 million from the contractor.
A reporter with the ICIR
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