The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a couple identified as Baba Sule Abubakar Sadiq and Hafsat Kabir Lawal, alongside two others, Abdullahi Bala and Ladani Akindele, before Justice Amina Bello of the Kaduna State High Court for allegedly obtaining money by false pretense, money laundering and stealing to the tune of N197,750,000.
They were arraigned on six-count charges on Monday, March 10, 2025.
Specifically, the defendants allegedly colluded among themselves and defrauded their victims through different guises, including impersonating the wife of the governor of Katsina State, 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.
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 Eighty Nine Million Naira Only from Aminu Usman which money you caused to be paid in to the Taj Bank plc account number 0009914725 belonging to Abdullahi Bala under the false pretense that you had the sum of $53,300 Fifty three thousand Three Hundred United State Dollars to exchange for the Naira equivalent which pretense you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) of the advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 punishment under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to them.
In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, Bright C. Ogbonna prayed the court for a trial date and for the defendants to be remanded in a correctional facility.
