Justice Ibrahim Ahmad Kala of the Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced two officials of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) to three years imprisonment each for their roles in a N1.17 million corruption scheme involving salaries of former staff of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ebute Meta, Lagos.
The convicts, identified as Shola Onasanya, a Chief Accountant and Payroll Desk Officer, and Halimat Olalere, a Principal Executive Officer of Accounts at the FMC, were found guilty of diverting funds belonging to the federal institution.
Justice Kala delivered the ruling on Thursday following a plea bargain agreement reached between the defendants and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which prosecuted the case.
As part of the judgment, the court gave the convicts the option of paying a fine of ₦100,000 each in lieu of serving the full jail term.
In addition, the court ordered the immediate closure of the bank accounts used to perpetrate the fraud, specifically UBA Account Number 1004722884 and Union Bank Account Number 0171442130, which had been central to the illegal transactions.
The sentencing came a day after both defendants pleaded guilty to a two-count amended charge brought against them by the ICPC.
The ICPC prosecutor, Mr Enosa Omoghibo, an Assistant Director with the commission, told the court that the fraud occurred between January and December 2023.
According to Omoghibo, the duo exploited their positions as payroll desk officers by failing to take the necessary steps to stop the payment of salaries to former FMC staff who had exited the service.
Instead, they diverted these salaries into accounts they controlled.
Specifically, Olalere substituted her personal Zenith Bank and Union Bank account details in place of the former employees’ payroll information, ensuring that the salaries continued to be paid into her accounts.
Onasanya, who masterminded the scheme, allegedly instructed Olalere to transfer the funds from her accounts into his personal UBA account.
Over the course of the year, the total sum diverted amounted to ₦1.17 million.
The prosecutor described the scheme as a clear case of corruption and money laundering, noting that the actions of the defendants violated the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, particularly Sections 18(2)(b) and (d), and Section 21(a).
During Wednesday’s court proceedings, Omoghibo informed Justice Kala that both defendants had entered into a plea bargain agreement with the prosecution, which was filed on September 4, 2025.
He then presented an amended charge to reflect the terms of the plea bargain, asking the court to read it to the defendants.
After the charges were read, both Onasanya and Olalere pleaded guilty.
Following their plea, Omoghibo applied under Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, urging the court to accept the plea bargain as the final judgment in the case.
The application included a statement of facts and a verifying affidavit outlining the roles played by each defendant in the corruption scheme.
Justice Kala subsequently accepted the plea bargain and convicted the defendants on both counts.
The amended charge, marked FHC/L/559c/2025, outlined the offences committed by the defendants.
Count one accused Onasanya of converting ₦1.17 million, derived from corruption, to his personal use by deliberately failing to stop salary payments to exited staff and redirecting those payments into Olalere’s accounts, from which they were later transferred into his UBA account.
Count two charged Olalere with aiding Onasanya by knowingly allowing her accounts to be used as conduits for the illicit funds, before transferring the proceeds to his account.
The prosecution maintained that the fraudulent acts were deliberate and calculated, violating public trust and the principles of accountability in the management of government payroll systems.
In addition to the prison sentence and fine option, Justice Kala issued a crucial order for the closure of the implicated bank accounts to prevent further misuse.
#Corruption #ICPC #Lagos #Nigeria
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