The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a husband and wife, Baba Abubakar Sadiq and Hafsat Lawal, alongside two accomplices, Abdullahi Bala and Ladani Akindele, for allegedly defrauding victims of N197.75 million by impersonating the First Lady of Katsina State, Fatima Radda.
The defendants were brought before Justice Amina Bello of the Kaduna State High Court on a six-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, money laundering, and stealing.
According to the EFCC, Lawal posed as the First Lady, one of the wives of Katsina State Governor Malam Dikko Radda, to deceive victims into transferring large sums of money.
She allegedly collected N89 million from Aminu Usman, claiming she had $53,300 to exchange for naira.
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Another victim lost N108 million, believing he was buying $118,300 from the defendants.
Further investigations revealed that Hafsat’s husband provided her with two SIM cards registered under the name Mrs Radda on Truecaller.
He then allegedly contacted Ladani Akindele, a former colleague at a new-generation bank, to obtain the contact details of Hafiz Bashir, Chairman of Unity Bank.
Through this, they secured access to the Bureau de Change operator, whom they eventually defrauded.
The EFCC said the funds were deposited into an account belonging to Bala at Taj Bank, from where they were allegedly laundered and shared among the defendants.
When the charges were read, all four defendants pleaded not guilty. The EFCC’s prosecution counsel, Bright C. Ogbonna, opposed their bail applications and requested a trial date.
However, defence lawyers, including M.S. Katu (for the 1st and 2nd defendants), Jazuli Mustapha (for the 3rd defendant), and Paul A. Okachi (for the 4th defendant), argued that they had filed bail applications and sought oral arguments in court.
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After hearing submissions from both sides, Justice Amina Bello ruled in favour of the EFCC, remanding the defendants in a Correctional Facility and adjourning the case to March 17, 2025, for bail hearings.
The defendants were initially arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) before being transferred to the EFCC when their offences were confirmed to be financial crimes.
