Abuja-based businesswoman and mother of five, Ramat Mercy Mba, has been sentenced to various prison terms for her role in an employment scam and for forging the signature of the late Abba Kyari, former Chief of Staff to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mba was convicted on charges brought against her by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and was sentenced by the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Gwagwalada. The presiding judge, Justice Ibrahim Mohammad, had deferred sentencing last week, directing that Mba be remanded in Suleja Correctional Centre until Thursday’s sentencing.
The ICPC had arraigned Mba in June 2022 on a five-count charge including cheating, fraud, and forgery, in violation of Section 13 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, and Sections 320(b) and 366 of the Penal Code Cap 89 laws of Northern Nigeria.
During the trial, the ICPC’s prosecutor, Mr. Hamza Sani, presented evidence detailing how Mba committed the offences in 2020. She collected a total of N4.5 million from several job seekers, falsely promising to secure employment for them with the ICPC and the National Air Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).
