The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has brought charges against four individuals, including a married couple, Baba Sule Abubakar Sadiq and Hafsat Kabir Lawal, for allegedly defrauding victims of N197,750,000 (approximately 197.75 million Naira).
The accused face multiple counts of obtaining money by false pretenses, money laundering, and theft.
The accused individuals were arraigned before Justice Amina Bello at the Kaduna State High Court on Monday, March 9, 2025, as announced in a statement by EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale. Alongside the couple, Abdullahi Bala and Ladani Akindele are also facing charges in connection with the alleged crimes.
The defendants are accused of deceiving their victims through various fraudulent schemes, including the impersonation of Fatima Dikko Radda, wife of the Governor of Katsina State.
The EFCC explained that the group engaged in elaborate false representations, convincing their victims that they could exchange large sums of money for foreign currency.
One of the charges specifies that, in December 2024, the group allegedly tricked Aminu Usman into transferring N89,000,000 (Eighty-Nine Million Naira) to an account belonging to Abdullahi Bala under the false pretenses of exchanging it for $53,300.
The defendants are charged with violating the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006.
Upon being arraigned, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following their plea, Bright C. Ogbonna, the prosecution counsel, requested that the defendants remain in custody pending the trial and asked for a date to be set for the case to proceed.
Counsel representing the accused, including M.S. Katu, SAN, for the first and second defendants, Jazuli Mustapha for the third defendant, and Paul A. Okachi for the fourth defendant, submitted bail applications on behalf of their clients.
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However, Ogbonna opposed these applications, asserting that they were premature. After reviewing the arguments, Justice Bello ruled in favor of the prosecution and ordered that the defendants be remanded in a correctional facility.
The court also adjourned the case until March 17, 2025, to hear the bail applications.
Investigations into the case revealed that Hafsat Lawal, one of the accused, posed as the wife of Governor Dikko Radda to deceive victims into parting with large sums of money.
In total, Hafsat allegedly obtained N197,750,000 from Aminu Usman, claiming to have the equivalent of $118,300 available for exchange.
Further inquiries disclosed that Sadiq, Hafsat’s husband, provided her with two SIM cards registered under the name “Fatima Dikko Radda” on the True Caller app.
He also contacted his former colleague at a bank, Ladani Akindele, to obtain a connection to a bureau de change operator.
With these connections, Hafsat allegedly collected the funds from Usman, which were then deposited into the bank account of the third defendant, Abdullahi Bala. The funds were later distributed among the defendants and laundered.
The EFCC continues to investigate the case as the legal proceedings unfold.
Crediblenewsng.com
