BY Ahmad Sahabi
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says a high court in Taraba has sentenced Ezekiel Oparinde, a former bursar of the Federal Government Girls’ College (FGGC), Jalingo, Taraba state, to four years imprisonment for fraud.
This was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by Azuka Ogugua, spokesperson of the ICPC.
According to the statement, the commission filed a three-count charge before F.J. Agya, presiding judge of high court 2 in Taraba, accusing Oparinde of holding private interests in two companies he awarded contracts while in office.
The contracts were said to have been awarded between 2011 and 2014.
“ICPC Counsel, Mashkur Salisu, told the court that Oparinde in 2011 awarded a contract to renovate a burnt bursar’s quarters in the school to his personal company, Rajoseph Nigeria Enterprise, for N3,787,000,” the statement reads.
“Within the same year, Oparinde also awarded the completion of a perimeter fence in the school to another of his companies, Taidebo Nigeria Enterprise, for N7,721,731.
“The court also heard how Oparinde, while still being bursar of FGGC in 2014, awarded a contract to his company, Rajoseph Nigeria Enterprise, to renovate a dilapidated block of agriculture laboratory for N5,000,000.
“The convict by his actions thereby contravened Section 12 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000. The convict had pleaded guilty to all the charges when he was arraigned in November 2021.”
The ICPC added that Umaru Fonga, the defence counsel, pleaded with the court to consider his client’s status as a first-time offender, a senior citizen whose health was failing, and as a husband and father of five “to temper justice with mercy”.
In the ruling, Agya was said to have sentenced Oparinde to one-year imprisonment with an option of N100,000 fine on each of counts one and two, and two years in jail or option of N150,000 fine on count three.
The sentences are to run concurrently.
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