The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a husband and wife, Baba Sadiq and Hafsat Lawal, alongside two others, Abdullahi Bala and Ladani Akindele, before Justice Amina Bello of the Kaduna State High Court.
The anti-graft agency in a statement issued Thursday said they were strain for obtaining money by false pretense, money laundering and stealing to the tune of N197,750,000.
It added that they were arraigned on six-count charges on Monday, March 10, 2025.
The agency noted that the defendants allegedly colluded among themselves and defrauded their victims through different guises, including impersonating the wife of the Governor of Katsina State, Fatima Radda.
It added that 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 defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to them.
In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, Bright Ogbonna prayed the court for a trial date and for the defendants to be remanded in a Correctional Facility.
Counsel to the 1st and 2nd defendants, M.S Katu, SAN, counsel to the 3rd defendant, Jazuli Mustapha and counsel to the 4th defendant, Paul Okachi informed the court that they had filed and served their various applications for the bail of their clients and that they were ready to proceed.
Ogbonna vehemently opposed the applications on the grounds that they were not ripe for hearing.
In response, all the defense counsel prayed the court to allow for an oral application for bail.
After listening to the submissions and arguments made by both parties, Justice Bello agreed with the prosecution and consequently remanded the defendants in a Correctional Facility and adjourned the matter till March 17, 2025 for hearing of bail applications.
Investigations showed that Hafsat contacted the petitioners as one of the wives of the Governor of Katsina State, Malam Dikko Radda.
The agency stressed that she allegedly obtained the sum of N89,000,000 and another N108,000,000 from a petitioner claiming to have $118,300 to sell to them.
Further investigations showed that Hafsat’s husband, Sadiq( the second defendant) provided his wife with two sim cards and registered the same with the True Caller as Fatima Dikko Radda.
He then allegedly contacted the fourth defendant, Ladani Akindele who was his former colleague at a new generation bank, and asked him to provide him with the contact number of the Chairman of Unity Bank, Hafiz Bashir through whom he got the contact number of the petitioner who is a bureau de change operator.
Hafsat thereafter contacted the petitioner, Aminu Usman and collected a total sum of N197,750,000 from him, claiming that she had dollar equivalent of the money ($118,300) to offer him.
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.