Ex-Legislative Aide Jailed Eight Years for N120.5m Job Scam in Abuja

The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday, September 22, 2025, secured the conviction of a former legislative aide and banker, Mr. Goni Yilkan, for defrauding job seekers of N120.5 million.

Yilkan, a native of Nguru, Yobe State, was sentenced to eight years imprisonment without the option of a fine by Justice F. E. Messiri of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Jabi, Abuja, after being found guilty on a two-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence, contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.

The convict was arraigned alongside one Mohammed Adamu in October 2023, following a petition by Mrs. Hindatu Bello, who claimed she was defrauded by Yilkan between 2020 and 2021.

According to the petitioner, Yilkan misled her and other job seekers into believing he could secure employment in government agencies, including the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Acting on this promise, Bello and over 60 other job seekers paid varying sums totaling N120,580,550, which were allegedly remitted to Yilkan.

However, the promised employment offers never materialized, prompting Mrs. Bello to report the matter to the EFCC.

One of the charges read in part:

“That you, Mohammed Goni Yilkan, Mohammed Adamu and others at large between 3rd January 2020 and December 2021 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N120,580,550 from Mrs. Hindatu Bello under the false pretence that you had the capacity to secure jobs for her candidates in various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria, which pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”

During the trial, the prosecution, led by Cosmas Ugwu, called six witnesses and tendered documentary evidence, while the defence, led by J.A. Oguche, presented two witnesses, including Yilkan himself.

Justice Messiri held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and convicted Yilkan, while acquitting his co-defendant, Adamu.

The EFCC said Yilkan’s conviction should serve as a warning to others preying on desperate Nigerians seeking employment.