The Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos, on September 18, 2025, sentenced two staff members of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), to three years imprisonment for corruption.
The convicted accountants are Shola Onasanya, a Chief Accountant and Halimat Olalere, a Principal Executive Officer of Accounts, of the IPPIS Payroll Desk Office, at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Ebute Meta, Lagos.
Justice Ibrahim Ahmad Kala who presided over the court gave the verdict while delivering judgment in a criminal charge filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) against the convicts.
The judge, based on the plea bargain terms reached by the prosecuting agency, and the convicts counsel, ordered the two convicts to pay fine option of N100, 000. 00 each.
The judge also ordered that the convicts UBA and Union Bank accounts numbers 1004722884 and 0171442130 used in committing the crime, be closed immediately
The judge had on Wednesday, convicted both Onasanya and Olalere upon their guilty plea to a two-count amended charge leveled against them by the ICPC.
Prior to their guilty plea, the prosecutor, Mr Enosa Omoghibo, an Assistant Director of the ICPC, had informed the court of a plea bargain agreement by the defendants.
He told the court that, following the plea bargain agreement was filed on September 4, the prosecution had consequently filed an amended charge and applied that it be read to the defendants.
Following their guilty pleas, the prosecutor moved an application citing the provisions of section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, for the agreement to be entered.
He prayed that the court enter the terms of the plea bargain agreement, which was supported by a statement of facts and a verifying affidavit, as judgment in the case.
According to the charge, the defendants were alleged to have committed the offence between January and December 2023 at the FMC in Ebute Meta, Lagos.
They were alleged to have converted the proceeds to their personal use, amounting to a total sum of N1.17 million, by failing to take the necessary steps as payroll desk officers to stop the salaries of some staffers who had exited the service.
The prosecution informed the court that the defendants had substituted the account of Olalere (the second defendant), into which the salaries of the former staffers were continuously paid.
The first defendant (Onasanya) was said to have directed Olalere to transfer the said salaries of the former workers received into his own account.
According to the prosecutor, the second defendant aided the first defendant in converting the total sum of N1.17 million, which was the proceeds of corruption, to his personal use.
The prosecutor had told the court that offence contravened the provisions of Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2022.
The amended Charge marked FHC/L/559c/2025 against the convicts read: “That you Onasanya Fasasi Sola (m), Chief Accountant, payroll desk officer (IPPIS), Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta, Lagos, between the months of January to December 2023 in Ebute-Metta, Lagos converted to your personal use the total sum of N1, 170, 000, 00 (One Million, One Hundred & Seventy Thousand Naira) monies derived from corruption to wit: deliberately failing to take necessary steps as payroll desk officer (IPPIS) to stop the salaries of staff members who have exited the service of the Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta, but substituted Zenith bank Account NO. 2008294771 and Union bank Account NO. 0171442130 of lere Alimat Temitope, your colleague in the Accounts Department, Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta into which salaries of some exited staff members were continually being paid and you directed the said Staff to continually transfer the sums received into your personal UBA Account NO. 1004722884; and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 18(2)(b)(d) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022.
“That you Olalere Alimat Temitope, Principal Executive Officer (Accounts), Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta, Lagos, between the months of January to December 2023 in in Ebute-Metta, Lagos aided one Onasanya Fasasi Sola (m), Chief Accountant, payroll desk officer (IPPIS), Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta. Lagos to convert to his personal use the total sum of N1, 170, 000.00 (One Million, One Hundred & Seventy Thousand Naira) monies derived from corruption to wit: Onasanya Fasasi Sola deliberately failed to take necessary steps as payroll desk officer (IPPIS) to stop the salaries of staff members whe have exited the service of he Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta, but substituted to your knowledge your Zenith bank Account NO. 2008294771 and Union bank Account No. 0171442130 into which salaries of some of the exited staff members were continually being paid and you thereafter always transfer the sums received through your accounts into the personal UBA account NO. 1004722884 of Onasanya Fasasi Sola; and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 21(a) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
