The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested Bashir Bello Ibrahim, a former Kaduna State government contractor and Chief Executive Officer of Formal Act Legacy Limited, over an alleged N30bn fraud involving multiple victims and fictitious contracts.
According to a statement released on Friday via the Commission’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Ibrahim was arrested by operatives of the Kaduna Zonal Directorate following no fewer than 251 petitions from individuals accusing him of impersonation and large-scale fraud.
The EFCC said although his previous contract with the Kaduna State government had been terminated in October 2023, Ibrahim allegedly continued to parade himself as a consultant for all 23 local government areas in the state and for the United Charity Foundation, falsely claiming affiliations with the Sustainable Development Goals Office.
“He falsely claimed to have a 2020 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kaduna State Government to source intervention grants from global donor agencies to fund LGA projects,” the statement read.
Two ambulances were also recovered from the suspect. | Credit: X, EFCC
Investigations, however, revealed that the MoU was revoked by the state government due to non-performance and breach of terms. Despite this, Ibrahim allegedly proceeded to award fake contracts, convincing victims—mostly contractors—to supply construction materials, hospital equipment, drugs, and other health-related products, which he claimed were for LG projects.
“After taking delivery of the supplies, he warehoused them without informing the LGAs, failed to pay the contractors, and went as far as selling some of the items,” the Commission said.
Recovered generators. | Credit: X, EFCC
Items recovered during the EFCC’s operation include Toyota Hilux vans, ambulances, buses, dispatch motorcycles, generators, and a large cache of drugs and medical equipment. Many of the medicines, which include syrups, tablets, capsules, and consumables such as gloves and syringes, were found stored in poor conditions.
The EFCC is collaborating with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control and the Kaduna State Ministry of Health to inspect and analyse the seized medical items.
The Investigation and Enforcement Officer of the Federal Task Force, NAFDAC, Umar Ahmad Suleiman, noted that some of the recovered drugs were counterfeit or had expired, while others were produced by unregistered manufacturers.
“Some are within shelf life, others expired, and some are outright counterfeits,” he said.
A pharmacist from the Kaduna State Ministry of Health, Abubakar Isa Balarabe, also confirmed the poor condition of the storage facility.
“The storage is not fit for any medicine because of the way and manner it was kept,” he stated.
The EFCC added that Ibrahim allegedly sold fake contract award papers using proxies and unilaterally altered contract terms, further violating the MoU that was in place before it was nullified.
The Commission said the suspect will be charged to court upon the conclusion of ongoing investigations.
