ICPC Arraigns Dismissed Court of Appeal Staff for Job Racketeering 

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned Munirat Abdulazeez, a former staff member of the Court of Appeal, on charges related to a job racketeering scheme.

Abdulazeez appeared before Judge Godwin Iheabunke at a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Bwari on Wednesday, where she entered a plea of not guilty to the two-count charge brought against her by the commission.

The judge had previously issued a warrant for her arrest following her failure to appear in court to enter her plea.

According to a statement released by the ICPC on Saturday, the defendant is accused of promising her victims, who were job seekers, non-existent positions with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

Investigations conducted by the commission revealed that between September 2022 and July 2023, she fraudulently obtained a total of N9.2 million from eight unsuspecting victims.

Abdulazeez, who was employed at the Court of Appeal from 2018 until her dismissal in 2023 due to her involvement in job racketeering and auction fraud, now faces charges under Section 1(1)(a), punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.

Following her ‘not guilty’ plea, a bail application was submitted by her lawyer and went unopposed by the ICPC.

Judge Iheabunke granted the defendant bail in the sum of N10 million, with two sureties of equivalent value.

The sureties, as stipulated by the judge, “must possess a landed property within the court’s jurisdiction and are required to deposit the title documents with the court registrar, with verification by the registrar being mandatory.”

“The defendant must formally notify the court of any intention to travel,” the judge further stated.

The case was subsequently adjourned to June 20, 2025, for the commencement of the trial.