NIMASA Director bags 7-year jail term for N1.5bn fraud

Captain Ezekiel Agaba, a former Executive Director of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), arraigned in December 2015 alongside the agency’s former Director-General Patrick Akpolobokemi, is to spend seven years in correction centre.

Unlike the latter who was discharged, the Federal High Court in Lagos convicted Agaba, of N1.5bn fraud and sentenced him to seven-year imprisonment.

Justice Ibrahim Buba, who handed down the verdict on Wednesday, held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission proved the charges against the defendant beyond reasonable doubts.

Recall, that, Agaba was arraigned in December 2015 alongside a former Director-General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi, and two others for using two firms to siphon about N2.6bn meant for the implementation of International Ship and Port Security code at NIMASA.

But the Court of Appeal has since discharged Akpobolokemi while the EFCC withdrew charges against two other defendants, leaving only Agaba.

The ISPS Code the EFCC pointed out, is to enable NIMASA to carry out security checks on vessels entering into the country.