The EFCC has arraigned Kaduna contractor Bashir Bello Ibrahim for allegedly defrauding a businessman of N111 million.
He was accused of advance fee fraud and money laundering before a Federal High Court.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a former Kaduna State government contractor, Bashir Bello Ibrahim, before the Federal High Court in Kaduna over allegations of obtaining N111 million through fraudulent means.
Ibrahim, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Formal Act Legacy Limited, was brought before Justice A. M. Aikawa to face a seven-count charge that includes obtaining money by false pretence, advance fee fraud, and money laundering.
According to the EFCC, Ibrahim and his company allegedly conspired to obtain N37.3 million under false pretence in July 2024. The offence, the agency stated, violates the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006. Another count accused the defendant of laundering money, contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
When the charges were read, Ibrahim pleaded not guilty. The prosecution counsel, Fortune Amina Asemebo, asked the court to set a date for trial, while the defence lawyer, M. T. Mohammed, applied for the defendant’s bail. Justice Aikawa, however, declined to hear the bail request immediately and ordered that Ibrahim be remanded in a Correctional Centre until the court rules on his bail application.
The EFCC said the case began after it received a petition from a complainant who alleged that Ibrahim, along with three others, defrauded him in the guise of securing government contracts. The complainant claimed he was introduced to Ibrahim in 2024 by three individuals identified as Josephine Washima, Mamuda Nyelong, and Nalara Tanimu. The trio allegedly presented Ibrahim as a “United Nations Sub-African Regional Coordinator” who could facilitate contracts for the construction of solar-powered boreholes across the North-East.
Believing the offer was genuine, the petitioner reportedly paid N37.3 million as a facilitation fee into Washima’s bank account. He was later issued five contract award letters purportedly for the drilling of 20 solar-powered boreholes. Acting on the agreement, the complainant executed one of the supposed projects, completing four boreholes in Karin Madaki, Bauchi State. However, he was never paid for the work.
When the complainant later discovered that the contracts and documents were fake, he filed a formal complaint to the EFCC. Subsequent investigations revealed that the entire transaction was a scheme orchestrated to defraud him. The findings led to Ibrahim’s arrest and eventual arraignment.
The anti-graft agency said it would present witnesses and documentary evidence during the trial to prove its case. Justice Aikawa adjourned the matter pending further proceedings on the bail application and the commencement of trial.
