Ex-Lawmaker’s Aide Jailed 8 Years: EFCC Scores Major Win Against Corruption Full Details

The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of former legislative aide and ex-banker, Goni Yilkan, who was sentenced to eight years in prison for a massive ₦120.5 million job scam.

Justice F.E. Messiri of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Jabi, Abuja, found Yilkan guilty on a two-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence in violation of Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, 2006. The judge ruled that the offence, which carried no option of fine, warranted a custodial sentence.

Yilkan, a native of Nguru, Yobe State, was first arraigned in October 2023 alongside one Mohammed Adamu following a petition from Mrs. Hindatu Bello. Investigations revealed that between 2020 and 2021, Yilkan deceived Bello into believing he could secure government jobs at the FIRS, CBN, and NDDC. Bello, acting on this assurance, collected contributions from over 60 job seekers amounting to ₦120,580,550, which she handed over to the convict.

The promised jobs never materialized, prompting Bello to alert the EFCC.

One of the charges stated that Yilkan and his accomplices “fraudulently obtained the sum of ₦120,580,550 from Mrs. Hindatu Bello under the false pretence of securing employment slots in Federal Government agencies, knowing the claim to be false.”

During trial, EFCC counsel Cosmas Ugwu presented six witnesses and documents to back the case, while Yilkan’s defence team, led by J.A. Oguche, called two witnesses, including the convict himself.

In his ruling, Justice Messiri declared that the EFCC had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt, sentencing Yilkan to eight years in prison, while his co-defendant Adamu was discharged and acquitted.