The State High Court in Gusau, Zamfara State, has sentenced Acting Provost of the Federal College of Education, Technical, Gusau, Dr. Bello Ahmed, to five years imprisonment for collecting double Duty Tour Allowance, DTA, for the same trip.

Consequently, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, warned public officers against conferring unfair advantage upon themselves, by collecting DTA from both their organisation, and the agency involved in the course of their official duties.

ICPC, in a statement by its Resident Consultant (Media and Events), Mr. Folu Olamiti, yesterday, in Abuja, said such abuse was punishable under Section 19 of ICPC Act 2000.

According to the statement, the law stipulates that, “any public officer who uses his office or position to gratify or confer any corrupt or unfair advantage upon himself or associate of the public officer or any public officer shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for five years without option of fine.”

Dr. Ahmed was accused of collecting DTA, between 13 and 16 November 2006, from the college for an official trip to attend a board meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, while equally collecting an equal amount as DTA from JAMB, including sitting allowances, all totalling N385,000.00.

The accused, who was arraigned by ICPC on an eight-count charge bordering on corruption and abuse of office, pleaded guilty to the offence and asked for leniency.

However, the presiding Judge, Justice Amaize, said he was not swayed by the plea of allocutus, as the accused lacked integrity and sentenced Ahmed to five years imprisonment without an option of fine.

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