River Basin director jailed six years for N305K fraud

Justice Abbas Bawule of the Katsina State High Court has sentenced the Director of Administration at the Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority (SRRBDA), Rabiu Musa Matazu, to six years imprisonment for N305,000 fraud.

Matazu was arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), on a four-count charge of criminal breach of trust and abuse of office.

The convict, according to a statement issued by the commission on Wednesday, converted public funds to personal use.

During the trial, ICPC prosecutor, Ibrahim Garba, told the court that the convict received the sum of N305,000 from his subordinate, Lawal Dan Sarki, as rent proceeds from properties belonging to SRRBDA in Katsina State.

But instead of remitting the money into the agency’s account, he diverted it for his personal benefit.

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One of the charges read: “That you, Rabiu Musa Matazu, sometimes in October 2014 or thereabout within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, used your position as Director of Administration, Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority, to confer unfair advantage upon yourself by receiving the total sum of N305,000 proceeds from rent collected on behalf of your agency, which you converted to your personal use and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.”

Matazu pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to him.

In his judgement, Justice Bawule sentenced the convict to six months’ imprisonment or an option of a N20,000 fine on counts 1, 2, and 3.

He was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine on the fourth count.

The sentences are to run concurrently.

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