Borno Court Jails Secondary School Proprietress for Fraud

Proprietress of Dala Standard Secondary School in Maiduguri, Borno State, Mrs. Josephine Udeh, has been sentenced to one year imprisonment for defrauding 284 students of WAEC registration fees.

Udeh, who was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before the Justice Aisha Kumaliya High Court in Maiduguri, was, however, given an option of a fine of N150,000.

Udeh, was taken to court for fraudulently collecting the sum over N5 million from 284 students of her school as WAEC registration fees.

She was first arraigned on April 24, 2019, on a one-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretense to the tune of N5 million which she pleaded “not guilty” to.

In the course of the trial, the prosecution presented 10 witnesses and tendered 10 exhibits and closed its case, which makes Udeh to enter into a plea bargain agreement with the EFCC.

At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, the prosecution counsel, Benjamin Manji, prayed the court to substitute an earlier charge filed on April 9, 2019, with an amended charge filed on July 31, 2019.

The amended count read: “That you, Josephine Udeh, being the Director of Dala Standard Secondary School in Maiduguri, sometime between 2017 and 2018 in Maiduguri, Borno State, within the jurisdiction of this court, did dishonestly misappropriate the sum of N5,059,000 meant for 2017/2018 WAEC registration fees for 284 students of the said Dala Standard Secondary School, Maiduguri, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of the Penal Code Law cap 102 Laws of Borno State of Nigeria and punishable under Section 309 of the same law.”

After the charge was read to her, she “pleaded guilty” to the one-count amended charge.

Manji therefore prayed the court to convict her as charged.

Thereafter, Justice Kumaliya found her guilty and convicted her as charged accordingly.

During prosecution, counsel for the defence, B.G Sanda, prayed for leniency, and urged the court to temper justice with mercy as she has restituted all the outstanding balance.

Justice Kumaliya, however, sentenced her with an option of fine in the sum of N150, 000  in default to spend one year in prison custody.