EFCC Arrests Former Kaduna Contractor, Bashir Ibrahim For Alleged N30bn Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Bashir Ibrahim, a former contractor for the Kaduna State government, over an alleged N30 billion fraud.

In a statement posted on Friday, the EFCC said Bashir Ibrahim, who runs a company called Formal Act Legacy Limited, tricked dozens of contractors in Kaduna by making false claims.

Despite his official ties with the state government ending in 2023, he allegedly continued to pose as a consultant for all 23 local government areas in Kaduna.

The EFCC also said he falsely claimed to represent organizations like the United Charity Foundation (UCF), FICCORD, and the Office of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He told his victims that he had a valid agreement with the Kaduna State government from 2020 to source foreign grants for local projects and SDG programs.

“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.

However, that agreement was reportedly terminated in October 2023 after he was found to have broken its terms. Despite this, Ibrahim allegedly kept handing out fake contracts worth billions of naira.

Contractors were convinced to supply items like hospital beds, medical supplies, boreholes, ambulances, and other materials meant for community health and water projects.

“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.

But instead of delivering those goods to the intended local councils, Ibrahim allegedly stored them in private warehouses, sold some of the items, and never paid the contractors.

“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 EFCC said he also worked with middlemen to sell fake contract documents and shared the money with them.

According to the commission, this fraudulent behavior led to the end of his agreement with the government.

“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 were found to be expired, fake, or unregistered.

Abubakar Balarabe, a pharmacist with the Kaduna state ministry of health, also confirmed the storage facility was unsafe for keeping medical supplies.

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

The EFCC says it will charge Ibrahim in court after wrapping up its investigation.

KanyiDaily recalls that the EFCC recently arrested two Chinese nationals and six Nigerians over their alleged involvement in illegal mining in Ogere, Ogun State.