Impersonation Gone Wrong: Four Face EFCC Trial for Defrauding Victims of N197m

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a couple, Baba Sule Abubakar Sadiq and Hafsat Kabir Lawal, along with two others, Abdullahi Bala and Ladani Akindele, for fraud, money laundering, and theft amounting to N197,750,000. They appeared before Justice Amina Bello of the Kaduna State High Court on Monday, March 10, 2025, facing six-count charges.

According to the EFCC, the defendants conspired to defraud victims through various schemes, including impersonating Fatima Dikko Radda, the wife of the Katsina State governor. They allegedly deceived individuals by offering fake foreign exchange transactions, leading to substantial financial losses for their victims.

Initially, the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested the suspects but later transferred them to the EFCC after determining the case involved financial crimes. One of the charges stated that in December 2024, the defendants fraudulently obtained N89,000,000 from Aminu Usman under the pretense of exchanging the amount for $53,300. The money was deposited into an account at Taj Bank belonging to Abdullahi Bala. The prosecution argued that the defendants knowingly engaged in fraudulent activities, violating the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offences Act of 2006.

During their arraignment, all four defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. In response, EFCC counsel Bright C. Ogbonna requested the court to set a trial date and remand the accused in a correctional facility. Defense lawyers, 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, informed the court that they had filed bail applications and were ready to proceed with arguments.

However, Ogbonna opposed the bail requests, arguing that they were not yet ripe for hearing. The defense counsels then sought the court’s permission to make an oral application for bail. After considering arguments from both sides, Justice Bello ruled in favor of the prosecution and ordered the defendants to be remanded in custody. The court adjourned the case until March 17, 2025, for the hearing of the bail applications.

Investigations revealed that Hafsat Kabir Lawal contacted victims while impersonating the Katsina State governor’s wife. She allegedly deceived individuals into handing over large sums of money, including N89,000,000 from one petitioner and N108,000,000 from another, by claiming she had dollars to exchange.

Further findings indicated that her husband, Baba Sule Abubakar Sadiq, assisted in the scheme by providing two SIM cards, which were registered under the name “Fatima Dikko Radda” on the TrueCaller app. He then reached out to Ladani Akindele, his former colleague at a commercial bank, to obtain the contact information of the Chairman of Unity Bank, Hafiz Bashir. Through this connection, they gained access to Aminu Usman, a bureau de change operator, whom they later defrauded.

Hafsat allegedly convinced Usman that she had $118,300 to exchange for naira, leading him to transfer a total of N197,750,000 into an account provided by the defendants. The EFCC’s investigation showed that the money was deposited into Abdullahi Bala’s account and then distributed among the four defendants, who laundered the funds through different channels.

With the defendants now in custody, the EFCC continues its investigation into the case. The court is set to review their bail applications on March 17, while trial proceedings will follow in due course.