EFCC Arrests Two Men for $700,000 Fraud Against Former NPA Boss

An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) officer has told the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja how the agency caught two men pretending to be EFCC officials. They allegedly tried to get $700,000 from Mohammed Bello-Koko, the former managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

Tanko Abubakar, the second prosecution witness, testified in the trial of Ojobo Joshua and Aliyu Hashim. The EFCC claims these men told Mr Bello-Koko that they were investigating his time as NPA managing director and demanded $1 million to stop the investigation.

They claimed that EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede and the commission’s director of operations needed the money. The prosecution said they later lowered the amount to $700,000.

The defendants were charged on 13 November 2024 and pleaded not guilty. This information comes from TransparencIT, a platform tracking corruption cases in Nigeria. They face four charges of impersonation, conspiracy, and obtaining money by false pretence.

The two men allegedly told Mr Bello-Koko that he would be arrested and prosecuted if he did not cooperate. They claimed they could arrange a “soft landing” for him with Mr Olukoyede.

Mr Abubakar shared that he got involved in the investigation in 2024 after the Abuja zonal director received a tip-off about the men trying to defraud the former NPA boss. "The Abuja zonal director informed me that there is an intelligence that the first and second defendants were attempting to defraud the former MD, NPA, Muhammad Bello-Koko in the sum of $1,000,000 and one of the suspects claiming to be a personal assistant to the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede," he stated.

The witness, who works in the commission’s Land and Property Section in Ibadan, Oyo State, said Mr Bello-Koko told him that Mr Hashim had claimed to know the person pretending to be the EFCC chairman’s aide. Later, Mr Bello-Koko introduced him to Mr Hashim. Mr Abubakar contacted Mr Hashim in August 2024 to discuss the situation.

Mr Hashim invited him to Crystal Palace Hotel on Gimbiya Street, Area 11, Abuja, to meet Mr Joshua. They later met at the Legislative Quarters in Apo, where Mr Joshua arrived with two vehicles. The witness said Mr Joshua asked if Mr Hashim had told him how much was needed to stop the supposed investigation.

"The first defendant told me and Koko to bring $1,000,000. I pleaded with him that we cannot raise such an amount," Mr Abubakar told the court. He offered $300,000, but Mr Joshua rejected it. Then, an offer of $500,000 was also turned down before Mr Hashim convinced Mr Joshua to accept $700,000.

Mr Abubakar reported the agreement to his zonal director. An investigative team was formed, including him, Hakeem Lasisi, Abdulhamid Wodi, and Olalekan Ogunjobi. On 28 August 2024, he told the defendants that he had returned from Kaduna with the money and was on his way to the EFCC headquarters.

Instead, Mr Joshua told him to meet at an A.A. Rano filling station along Lugbe Road, Abuja. The witness explained that Mr Joshua arrived in a Hilux and another SUV, with three armed mobile police officers in the Hilux. Mr Hashim also came, but the EFCC team could not arrest them because their operatives on the scene were unarmed.

Mr Abubakar then contacted his office for armed personnel for another attempt. He later told Mr Hashim that the money was ready. He was directed to meet at Crystal Palace Hotel. After Mr Joshua did not answer his calls, the witness sent him a text confirming that the money was ready. Mr Joshua then called and directed him to meet Mr Hashim.

Mr Abubakar drove to Gimbiya Street and showed Mr Hashim the bag containing the money. EFCC operatives then moved in and arrested him. He noted that Mr Hashim first denied knowing Mr Joshua’s house but later led the operatives there after Mr Joshua asked for a video call to confirm that the money was ready.

The witness said Mr Joshua’s wife allowed the operatives into the house, where they found him inside his store and arrested him. Both men were taken to the EFCC headquarters.

Prosecution lawyer Elizabeth Alabi told the court that Hakeem Lasisi, the witness originally set to testify, was unavailable because he was on an official assignment outside the country. The court permitted Mr Abubakar to testify in his place.

The trial judge, Jude Onwuegbuzie, adjourned the case until Thursday (today) for the trial to continue.