A husband and wife, Baba Sule Abubakar Sadiq and Hafsat Kabir Lawal, have been arraigned in court for defrauding a victim of a staggering N197,750,000. The couple, along with two accomplices, Abdullahi Bala and Ladani Akindele, were charged with obtaining money under false pretenses, money laundering, and stealing after a joint operation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Services (DSS).
The four suspects appeared before Justice Amina Bello of the Kaduna State High Court on Monday, March 9, 2025, where they were charged with six counts of financial crimes. The charges were linked to a fraudulent scheme in which the defendants allegedly impersonated the First Lady of Katsina State, Fatima Dikko Radda, to deceive a victim into transferring large sums of money.
According to the charges, the defendants deceived their victim, Aminu Usman, into believing that Hafsat, who pretended to be the First Lady, had access to U.S. dollars that could be exchanged for Naira at a favorable rate. They convinced Usman to hand over N89,000,000 for a deal involving $53,300, promising to exchange the funds at a later time.
The fraud began in December 2024 when Hafsat, using a fake identity as the wife of Governor Malam Dikko Radda, reached out to the victim. The defendants then instructed Usman to deposit the money into an account linked to Abdullahi Bala, one of the suspects. The money was later distributed among the four suspects, who allegedly laundered the stolen funds.
This fraudulent activity was part of a broader scheme in which Hafsat convinced Usman to hand over an additional N108,000,000 by falsely claiming she could provide him with $118,300. Investigations revealed that her husband, Sadiq, played a crucial role in facilitating the crime by providing his wife with two SIM cards that were registered under the name of the First Lady of Katsina State on True Caller, a popular caller identification app. This was done to make it appear as though the calls were coming directly from Fatima Dikko Radda.
Further investigation showed that Sadiq also contacted his former colleague, Ladani Akindele, a banker, to obtain the contact number of a bureau de change operator. This allowed Hafsat to directly communicate with Usman and convince him to transfer the funds, further establishing the network of deception involved in the operation.
The defendants were arrested by DSS agents and later handed over to the EFCC when it became clear that the case involved serious financial crimes. The EFCC’s investigation revealed that the stolen funds were transferred through various accounts and laundered to hide the true origin of the money.
During their court appearance, the defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges, including obtaining money under false pretenses, a violation of Nigeria’s Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-Related Offences Act of 2006. Prosecuting lawyer, Bright C. Ogbonna, urged the court to deny bail and remand the accused in a correctional facility, citing the severity of the crime and the need for a proper investigation.
The defense teams representing the four suspects requested that the court consider bail applications, asserting that they had filed the necessary documents and were prepared to argue for the release of their clients. However, Ogbonna opposed this request, arguing that the bail applications were premature. After listening to both sides, Justice Bello agreed with the prosecution and ordered the defendants to remain in custody. The court adjourned the case until March 17, 2025, for the hearing of the bail applications.
The case has drawn significant attention due to the scale of the fraud and the involvement of individuals who used sophisticated methods, including impersonating a prominent political figure, to carry out their crime. It also highlights the increasing use of technology in fraudulent activities, as the suspects exploited the True Caller app and other digital tools to carry out their scheme.
Authorities have expressed their commitment to bringing the defendants to justice and recovering the stolen funds. The case also serves as a reminder of the importance of safeguarding personal information and being vigilant against scams that exploit the trust people have in established figures, including public officials.
For now, the defendants remain in custody as the court prepares to continue hearing their case in the coming weeks. The EFCC has vowed to pursue the matter vigorously, ensuring that those involved in the crime face the full weight of the law.
This incident is part of a worrying trend in Nigeria, where scams and fraud schemes are becoming more sophisticated. It highlights the need for greater awareness and stronger enforcement of laws to combat financial crimes, especially those that take advantage of people’s trust and rely on high-profile impersonation to deceive victims.
As investigations continue, the focus will now shift to how the stolen funds were distributed and whether the authorities can track the laundered money back to its original source. Meanwhile, the victims of the scam are left to deal with the aftermath of the financial loss, while the case itself serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of fraud and impersonation in today’s digital age.
