Dismissed police officer bags 4 years jail for fraud

An Upper Area Court in Zuba, Abuja, on Friday sentenced a dismissed police officer, Benjamin Tanko, to four years imprisonment for fraud.

Tanko, who resides in Aco/Amac Estate Airport Road, Abuja, had pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of criminal breach of trust and cheating.

The convict before the sentencing begged the court for leniency.

The Judge, Ismail Abdullahi, however, gave the convict an option to pay a fine of N50,000 and warned him to desist from committing crime.

Abdullahi in addition said that the punishment would have been severe if he had not pleaded guilty as the guilty plea had saved the court the pains of long prosecution.

Abdullahi also ordered the convict to pay compensation of N1.2 million to the complainant.

The Prosecutor, Chinedu Ogada, earlier told the court that the complainant, Austin Uchenna of Mararaba, Nasarawa State, reported the case at the Iddo Police Station, Abuja, on Sept. 24.

Ogada told the court that the complainant alleged that the convict presented himself as a caretaker of a house in Aco Estate, Lugbe, Abuja.

He said that the convict fraudulently rented a two-bedroom apartment in the estate to the complainant for two years and collected N1.2 million from him.

Ogada further stated that the convict converted the money to his personal use and ran away to an unknown destination.

The prosecutor also told the court that during police investigation the convict was tracked and arrested in Taraba and he made a confessional statement.

The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of Sections 312 and 322 of the Penal Code.