Dismissed police officer bags four-year jail term over fraud

An upper area court in Zuba, federal capital territory (FCT), has sentenced Benjamin Tanko, a dismissed police officer, to four years imprisonment over fraud.

According to NAN, Chinedu Ogada, the prosecutor, had earlier told the court that one Austin Uchenna of Mararaba, Nasarawa state, reported to the police that Tanko allegedly defrauded him of the sum of N1.2 million in September.

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

The prosecutor said Tanko “fraudulently rented out” a two-bedroom apartment in the estate to the complainant and collected N1.2 million from him.

Ogada alleged that the dismissed police officer converted the money — which he collected as rent for two years — to his personal use and absconded to an unknown destination.

The prosecutor also disclosed that the defendant made a confessional statement on the matter, after he was tracked and arrested by the police in Taraba.

The dismissed officer was arraigned on a two-count charge of criminal breach of trust and cheating to which he pleaded guilty.

In his ruling, Ismail Abdullahi, the judge, sentenced the defendant to four years imprisonment, with an option to pay a fine of N50,000.

Abdullahi said the punishment would have been severe if Tanko had not pleaded guilty, as the guilty plea had saved the court a lengthy prosecution.

The judge also ordered the defendant to pay a compensation of N1.2 million to the complainant.