News Release

The former Chairman of Patani Local Government Council of Delta State Mr Austin Bebeteidoh has been sentenced to 3 years in jail for paying his wife a monthly imprest of N110,000, thereby contravening Section 19 of the ICPC Act.

The former Chairman was charged to Court by the ICPC in 2007 on a seven count charge for violating Sections 16,19 and 25 of the ICPC Act. He was accused of converting for his personal use the sum of N7million overdraft facility he obtained on behalf of Patani Local Government Council from the New Nigerian Bank Plc and another sum of N710,000 which he purportedly used for hiring a vehicle for official use. Mr Austin Bebeteidoh was also accused of approving for fueling of his wife's car the sum of N110,000 monthly as imprest, even though his wife had no official car.

Justice G.B Briki-okolosi, while delivering his judgement on Thursday 16th May 2013 discharged and acquitted the accused person on counts 1-5 but found the accused guilty on counts 6 and 7. He then sentenced the former Local Government Chairman to 3 years with an option of N200,000 on count 6 and another N200,000 on count 7.

Meanwhile, the ICPC has arrested an officer of the Nigerian Prison Service ASP Ikwuobe Yusuf and his accomplice Usman Musa, for operating a fake employment syndicate through which they extorted hundreds of thousands of naira from applicants.

ASP Yusuf is alleged to have collected the sum of N100,000 from 70 applicants through Usman Musa who promised to offer the applicants employment with National Task Force To Combat Illegal Importation and Smuggling of Goods, Small Arms, Ammunition and Light Weapons.

The suspects were arrested in Kano and Kaduna and have been transferred to ICPC headquarters for further investigation.

Mike Sowe
Head, Public Enlightenment Dept
ICPC
19th May 2013