Employment Scam: How NIMET staff collected N5.1m from job seekers
By Ben Ekezie
Operatives of Force Intelligence Response Team have arrested one Hamza Abdullahi Gambo who allegedly defrauded more than 121 job seeker that submitted application at the Nigeria Meterological Agency NIMET where he is currently a staff.
He was employed by the NIMET in 2003, served in several states before he was posted to Nguru in Yobe State where allegedly started criminal activities.
According to police sources, he was declared wanted after one Beatrice Itodo based in Bauchi State reported that she was deceived to pay N2.3million to facilitate the issuance of employment letters for her relatives and friends. They got the shock of their lives when the agency confirmed that the employment letters were fake.
He was arrested in his personal house at Bauchi State metropolis on November 22, 2021 and during interrogation he told the IRT operatives that he took advantage of the fact that he is a staff of NIMET to collect bribe in the name of facilitation.
He used a stolen NIMET letter headed paper and forged the signature of the officer in charge of employment.
He also confessed to the police that he collected a total of N5.1million from his unsuspecting victims through his bank account.
He also admitted that he collected N2.3million from Beatrice who brought several names of job seekers and he issued them a fake employment letters.
Operatives are still on the trail of those who participated the scam.
Meanwhile the Inspector-General of Police IGP Usman Alkali Baba has warned unemployed Nigerians desperately seeking for employment to ensure they conduct necessary checks before engaging in such ventures with private citizens for security reasons
