The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested couples Baba Soule Abubakar Sadiq and Hafsat Kabir Loral.
EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale said in a statement Thursday that he was arrested on Monday, March 9, 2025 on a six-count charge.
The defendants are allegedly conspired among themselves and fraudulently purported to the victims through various outfits, including humiliating Fatima Dicco Radha, the wife of the governor of Katina.
The defendants were initially arrested by State Department (DSS) officers and then transferred to the EFCC when it became clear that their crime was essentially a financial crime.
One of the accusations was, “You have won n89,000.00 to win n89,000.00 with the intention of winning this honorable court in Kaduna in December 2024, with the intention of winning n89,000.00.00.00.00.00, with the intention of winning n89,000.00, which belongs to Abdullahi Bala, is a total of $53,300 total, a total of $53,300, pretending you knew you were false, and by which you committed a crime against the prior fraud liability ACT.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read by them.
Considering their pleas, the prosecutor’s advisor, Bright C. Ogbona, prayed to the court for the date of trial and the defendant to be remanded to the correctional facility.
Jazzli Mustafa, counsel for the first and second defendants, Katu, San and the third defendants’ lawyers, and Paul A. Okachi, counsel for the fourth defendants, have notified the court that they have filed, provided, and prepared to proceed with various applications on client bail.
Ogbonna opposed the application on the ground that they were not hearing ripe. In response, all defense counsels prayed to the court to allow oral application for bail.
After hearing the submissions and discussions made by the parties, Judge Bello agreed to the prosecution, which resulted in remanding the defendant at the correctional facility, and postponed the matter by listening to his bail application until March 17, 2025.
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According to the investigation, Hafsat contacted the petitioner as one of the wives of current Katina Governor Malam Dicco Radha. Using that outfit, she allegedly obtained a total of n89,000,000 and another N108,000,000 from the petitioner, and sold it claiming she had $118,300 ($1180 million).
Further investigations showed that Hafsat’s husband, Sadiq (second defendant), provided two SIM cards to his wife and registered as a true caller, just like Fatima Dikko Radda.
He then contacted the fourth defendant, Radani Akindel, a former colleague of the new generation of banks, and asked him to provide the contact number of Hafiz Bashir, chairman of Unity Bank.
Hafsat then contacted petitioner Aminu Usman, who collected a total of N197,750,000 from him, claiming that she had the dollars ($118,300) equivalent to money to provide to him.
The funds are said to have been deposited in the bank account of Abdullahira, 3rd Defendant, provided by the 1st Defendant, and the money was distributed among the four defendants and washed through various means.
