By Peter Omopo
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a former contractor with the Kaduna State Government, Bashir Bello Ibrahim, over an alleged N30 billion fraud involving multiple fictitious contracts and impersonation.
In a statement released on Friday via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the EFCC said Ibrahim, the Chief Executive Officer of Formal Act Legacy Limited, was apprehended by operatives from the Kaduna Zonal Directorate following the receipt of no fewer than 251 petitions from victims.
The petitions accuse Ibrahim of impersonating a consultant for all 23 local government areas of Kaduna State, as well as falsely claiming affiliations with the United Charity Foundation and the Office of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to the EFCC, although Ibrahim’s contract with the Kaduna State Government was terminated in October 2023, he allegedly continued to present himself as an authorised consultant. He purportedly cited a revoked 2020 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as the basis for sourcing global donor grants for local government projects.
“He falsely claimed to have a 2020 Memorandum of Understanding with the Kaduna State Government to source intervention grants from global donor agencies to fund LGA projects,” the EFCC said.
Investigations revealed that despite the revocation of the MoU due to non-performance and breach of agreement, Ibrahim allegedly awarded fake contracts to unsuspecting contractors. He is accused of convincing them to supply hospital equipment, construction materials, and drugs under the guise of executing local government projects.
The EFCC further disclosed that after receiving the supplies, Ibrahim warehoused the items without notifying the local governments, failed to pay the contractors, and allegedly sold off some of the goods.
In the course of the investigation, the Commission said it recovered fake pharmaceutical products and two ambulances from the suspect. The EFCC added that further investigations are ongoing, with the possibility of filing charges upon conclusion.
