EFCC arraigns couple for N197m fraud, impersonating Katsina first lady

EFCC arraigns couple for N197m fraud, impersonating Katsina first lady

A husband and wife, Baba Sadiq and Hafsat, alongside two accomplices, Abdullahi Bala and Ladani Akindele, have been remanded in prison custody after their arraignment before Justice Amina Bello of the Kaduna State High Court on charges of fraud, money laundering, and theft amounting to ₦197,750,000.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) brought the six-count charges against the defendants on Monday, March 10, 2025.

According to a statement by EFCC, the suspects allegedly conspired to defraud victims by posing as high-profile individuals, including impersonating the wife of Katsina State Governor, Fatima Dikko Radda.

“The defendants were initially arrested by officers of the Department of State Services, DSS, and subsequently transferred to the EFCC when it was clear that their offences were financial crimes in nature,” the EFCC stated.

One of the charges reads: “That you Hafsat Kabir Lawal, Babasule Abubakar Sadiq, Abdullahi Bala, Ladani Akindele Ayodele sometimes in December 2024 at Kaduna within the jurisdiction of this honorable court with intent to defraud did obtain the sum of N89,000,000.00… under the false pretense that you had the sum of $53,300… to exchange for the Naira equivalent which pretense you knew to be false…”

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The defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges. In response, EFCC counsel Bright C. Ogbonna requested a trial date and asked the court to remand the defendants in custody. Defense lawyers, including M.S. Katu, SAN, and Jazuli Mustapha, applied for bail but were met with opposition from the prosecution. Justice Bello ruled in favor of the EFCC, ordering the defendants’ remand and adjourning the case to March 17, 2025, for a bail hearing.

According to the EFCC, investigations revealed that Hafsat allegedly posed as the Katsina First Lady to obtain ₦89 million and ₦108 million from victims seeking currency exchange services. The statement further alleged that her husband, Sadiq, provided her with SIM cards registered on Truecaller as “Fatima Dikko Radda.”

The EFCC claimed Sadiq also enlisted the help of Ladani Akindele, a former bank colleague, to obtain the contact number of Unity Bank Chairman Hafiz Bashir. Through this connection, the defendants allegedly reached out to bureau de change operator Aminu Usman, from whom they collected a total of ₦197,750,000 under the guise of providing the dollar equivalent.

“The money was said to have been deposited into the bank account of the 3rd defendant, Abdullahi Bala, provided by the first defendant, and the money was allegedly distributed among the four defendants and laundered through various means,” the statement alleged.

The case is set to resume on March 17 for the hearing of the defendants’ bail applications.

EFCC arraigns couple for N197m fraud, impersonating Katsina first lady