EFCC arrests ex-govt contractor for N30bn fraud, recovers vehicles, others

The operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested a former Kaduna State Government contractor and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Formal Act Legacy Limited, Bashir Bello Ibrahim, over alleged multiple fraud to the tune of N30 billion.

EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale disclosed this via a statement issued on Friday, May 16, 2025.

Oyewale said though Ibrahim’s contract with the state government had been terminated, no less than 251 complaints received by the EFCC against the contractor.

Ibrahim was alleged to have paraded himself to unsuspecting victims as consultant for the 23 local government areas in KadunaState as well as that of the United Charity Foundation (UCF), FICCORD with affiliation to Sustainable Development Goals Office.

It was also alleged that Ibrahim 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 actualisation of SDGs in the state.

Oyewale stated that investigations revealed that Ibrahim is not a consultant to UCF, noting that the suspect’s 2020 MoU with the Kaduna State Government was terminated by the state government in October 2023 as a result of default on the terms of the MoU by the suspect.

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He said despite the termination of the MoU, the suspect intentionally engaged unauthorised award of fictitious contracts to the tune of approximately N30 billion by convincing his contractor victims to supply items meant for construction of hospitals, motorised boreholes, hospital beds and mattresses, drugs, and vaccines which he would allegedly receive on behalf of the Kaduna State Government, sold some, and diverted their proceeds to his personal use.

The EFCC spokesman stated: “From investigations, it was further discovered that when he took delivery of the supplies, he would warehouse them, kept the LGAs in the dark about their delivery and furthermore, failed to pay hecontractors the value of what they supplied.

“It is also alleged that the suspect was selling contract award papers using proxies with whom he shared  the proceeds.

“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.”

Oyewale listed items recovered from the contractor to include Toyota Hilux pick up vans, ambulances, buses, dispatch motorcycles, caches of drugs and vaccines for children, stacks of hospital beds and mattresses, and heavy duty generators.

Items found in his office store were large quantities of tablets, capsules, syrups, infusions, ointments/creams, medical consumables that include hand gloves, syringes, and mucus extractor.

Oyewale further stated that the EFCC is collaborating with NAFDAC and the Kaduna State Ministry of Health in the evaluation of the cache of medicines found in his storage facilities as well as in carrying out qualitative analysis on them.

He noted that the suspect will be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation.

The Star