EFCC arrests ex-Kaduna government contractor over ‘N30bn fraud’

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested Bashir Ibrahim, a former contractor with the Kaduna state government, over alleged fraud totalling N30 billion.

In a post on X on Friday, the anti-graft agency said Ibrahim, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Formal Act Legacy Limited, was accused of using false claims to deceive dozens of contractors in Kaduna.

The commission said, despite the termination of his official dealings with the state government in 2023, Ibrahim continued to parade himself as a consultant for the 23 LGAs in Kaduna and for organisations such as the United Charity Foundation (UCF), FICCORD, and the Office of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“It is also alleged that he informed his victims that he had a 2020 Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the Kaduna State government for the purpose of sourcing intervention grants from global donor agencies for the funding of LGA projects in the state and supporting the actualization of SDGs within the state,” the post reads.

The agency said investigations showed that his purported MoU with the Kaduna state government was terminated in October 2023 after he was found to have breached its terms.

The EFCC said Ibrahim, despite losing official backing, allegedly went on to award fictitious contracts worth billions of naira.

“He convinced contractors to supply materials meant for hospitals and water projects — such as beds, drugs, boreholes, and ambulances — claiming he was acting on behalf of the government,” the agency said.

The commission added that Ibrahim allegedly diverted the items for personal use, sold some, and failed to deliver or disclose them to the LGAs for which they were supposedly procured.

“He kept the contractors in the dark, refused to pay for the items, and stored the goods in warehouses unknown to the supposed beneficiaries,” the agency said.

The anti-graft body also alleged that the suspect sold fake contract papers through middlemen and shared the proceeds with them.

“These fraudulent acts coupled with his unilateral alteration of the nature of the contracts and their terms allegedly led to the termination of the MoU he had with the state government in 2023,” the EFCC said.

“Items recovered several items from his custody, including Toyota Hilux vans, ambulances, buses, dispatch motorcycles, heavy-duty generators, and stacks of hospital equipment.

“Also seized were medical supplies such as capsules, syrups, creams, syringes, gloves, and vaccines for children, many of which were found in a private warehouse.”

The EFCC said it is working with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Kaduna state ministry of health to assess the safety and authenticity of the recovered drugs.

Umar Suleiman, a NAFDAC federal task force official, said some of the recovered products have expired, while others were either counterfeit or from unregistered companies.

Abubakar Balarabe, a pharmacist with the Kaduna state ministry of health, said the storage condition was unsafe for any medical item.

“The place is not fit for storing medicines because of the way and manner they were kept,” he said.

The EFCC added that Ibrahim will be charged in court once investigations are concluded.