ICPC Arraigns Immigration Official for Receiving Multiple Government Salaries Totalling N17.6m

An officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Abubakar Mohammed Aseku, has been arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for allegedly receiving N17.6 million in salaries from multiple government agencies while still in active service with the NIS.

Aseku, who holds the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Immigration, is facing a nine-count charge before Justice Binta Dogonyaro of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Apo, Abuja. The charges revolve around abuse of office and corrupt enrichment.

According to a statement by ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare, Aseku was accused of drawing N4.2 million in salaries from the Nasarawa State Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology in 2015, where he worked as a teacher despite being a full-time Immigration officer. He was also alleged to have received N13.4 million in salaries from the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) between 2018 and 2019, while still on the NIS payroll.

In addition, the ICPC alleged that Aseku, who served as a Pay Officer with the NIS, facilitated the unlawful payment of N4.7 million in salaries to seven individuals who were neither staff of the Immigration Service nor on its official payroll.

One of the charges read that Aseku “used his position to confer corrupt advantage upon himself” by receiving salaries from the DPR while simultaneously employed by the NIS. The case is ongoing as the court deliberates on the allegations.