The Lagos State Special Offences Court Sitting in the Ikeja area has sentenced a former Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Labour & Employment, Mr. Clement Illoh, to 5 years imprisonment.

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo gave the sentence after she convicted him on two counts of stealing by conversion the sum of N14.1m, the property of the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency, NIMASA.

The judge however acquitted him of the third count of concealment.

In her sentence on the first 2 counts, Justice Taiwo ordered the convict to make restitution of the total sum of money back to the Federal Government, less the N3.5m already recovered from him during an investigation by the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The court also ordered that the funds should be paid to the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation.

The counsel to the Convict, Mr. Thomas Awana, said he will obtain a copy of the judgment, study it and advice his client on how to proceed.

The EFCC Counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, on his part is pleased that the court has again sent a strong message that public servants must remain accountable to the people they serve.