The apex court also ordered him to refund N22.9bn to the Federal Government.
The Supreme Court has affirmed the six-year jail term handed the former Assistant Director in the Federal Civil Service, John Yusufu Yakubu convicted for his complicity in the conversion of about N24 billion from the Police Pension Fund.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja had, in a judgment on May 22, 2018, reversed an earlier decision of Justice Abubakar Talba of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) which convicted him on a three-count charge and gave him an option of fine at N250,000 per count.
Yakubu was imprisoned in 2018 by the Abuja Court of Appeal for defrauding the Federal Government of N22.9bn Police Pension Fund.
A five-man panel of the Supreme Court, in a judgment on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, upheld the 2018 decision of the Court of Appeal.
Agreeing with the N22.9 billion fine added to six years jail term, Tijjani Abubakar, who read the Supreme Court’s lead judgement, said it was in tandem with the gravity of the offence and its impact on retired police officers who are the victims of the crime.
“It must be made clear that victims are entitled to be compensated,” Mr Abubakar said, adding “I fully endorse the judgement of the lower court”.
He described the January 2013 decision of the High Court of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which initially sentenced the pension thief to two years’ imprisonment with an option of N750,000, as a mere slap on the wrist.
Mr Abubakar said the sentence imposed by the High Court was paltry and insignificant
“Considering the humongous amount stolen, the nature and gravity of the crime and its destructive effect on the country and its impact on retired police officers and the grave breach of public trust, 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 avoid him obtaining financial benefit from his crime should be imposed,” Mr Abubakar said, echoing the words of the Court of Appeal on the case.
Other members of the five-member panel led by Helen Ogunwunmiju agreed with the judgement. Others on the panel were Musa Dattijo Muhammad, Centus Nweze, and Adamu Jauro.
The apex court also ordered him to refund N22.9bn to the Federal Government.
