Goni Yilkan, a former legislative aide and banker has been jailed by the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Jabi, Abuja for obtaining by false pretence the sum of N120.5 million.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, September 22, 2025, secured the conviction before Justice F. E. Messiri.
Yilkan, a native of Nguru, Yobe State, was 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, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act. He was consequently sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment without an option of fine.
The convict was arraigned alongside Mohammed Adamu in October 2023, following investigations into a petitioner’s allegation of being defrauded by Yilkan.
According to the petitioner, Yilkan deceived her between 2020 and 2021 into believing he could secure employment slots in government agencies such as the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Acting on this false assurance, the petitioner collected varying sums of money from over 60 jobseekers amounting to N120,580,550.00 (One Hundred and Twenty Million, Five Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Five Hundred and Fifty Naira), which she allegedly handed over to Yilkan.
However, the promised employment opportunities never materialized, prompting Bello to petition the EFCC.
One of the charges read: “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 (One Hundred and Twenty Million, Five Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Five Hundred and Fifty Naira) 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 EFCC prosecution team, led by Cosmas Ugwu, called six witnesses and tendered several documents, while the defence team, led by J.A. Oguche, presented two witnesses, including Yilkan himself.
In his judgment, Justice Messiri ruled that the prosecution had established its case beyond reasonable doubt. He convicted Yilkan but discharged and acquitted his co-defendant, Adamu. The judge thereafter sentenced Yilkan to eight years’ imprisonment without an option of fine.
Yilkan’s conviction followed his fraudulent collection of N120.5 million from desperate job seekers under the guise of securing employment slots—neither delivering the jobs nor refunding the money.