The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a couple, Baba Sule Abubakar Sadiq and Hafsat Kabir Lawal, alongside two others, Abdullahi Bala and Ladani Akindele, for allegedly defrauding victims of N197,750,000 through impersonation and money laundering.
The suspects were brought before Justice Amina Bello of the Kaduna State High Court on Monday, March 10, 2025, on a six-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretense, money laundering, and stealing.
According to the EFCC, the defendants allegedly conspired to impersonate Fatima Dikko Radda, the wife of the Katsina State governor, to defraud their victims.
They were initially apprehended by the Department of State Services (DSS) before being transferred to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.
Investigations revealed that Hafsat Kabir Lawal allegedly posed as the Katsina First Lady and contacted her victims, promising them foreign exchange transactions. Under this pretense, she reportedly collected N89 million from a victim, Aminu Usman, claiming to exchange it for $53,300.
Similarly, another victim allegedly transferred N108 million to the syndicate, believing they would receive $118,300 in return.
Further findings indicated that Hafsat’s husband, Sadiq, provided her with two SIM cards, which he registered under the name “Fatima Dikko Radda” on TrueCaller to convince their targets. Sadiq also allegedly sought the assistance of his former colleague, Ladani Akindele, to obtain the contact details of Unity Bank Chairman, Hafiz Bashir, who then unknowingly linked them to a bureau de change operator, Aminu Usman.
The funds were reportedly deposited into the account of the third defendant, Abdullahi Bala, before being laundered through various channels.
One of the charges against the defendants reads: “That you, Hafsat Kabir Lawal, Baba Sule Abubakar Sadiq, Abdullahi Bala, and Ladani Akindele Ayodele, sometime in December 2024, in Kaduna, within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N89,000,000.00 from Aminu Usman, which you caused to be paid into the Taj Bank account number 0009914725 belonging to Abdullahi Bala, under the false pretense that you had $53,300 to exchange for the naira equivalent, a pretense you knew to be false, thereby committing an offense contrary to Section 1 (1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offenses Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”
In response, EFCC counsel, Bright C. Ogbonna, requested a trial date and urged the court to remand the suspects in a correctional facility.
However, defense counsels—M.S. Katu (SAN) for the first and second defendants, Jazuli Mustapha for the third defendant, and Paul A. Okachi for the fourth defendant—argued that they had filed bail applications and were ready to proceed.
Ogbonna opposed the bail requests, arguing that they were premature. The defense then sought an oral bail application, which the prosecution objected to.
After hearing both parties, Justice Bello upheld the prosecution’s argument and ordered the defendants to be remanded in a correctional facility.
The case was adjourned to March 17, 2025, for the hearing of the bail applications.
The EFCC has urged members of the public to remain vigilant against fraudsters who exploit digital tools to impersonate influential personalities and defraud unsuspecting victims.
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