The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Bashir Ibrahim, a former contractor with the Kaduna State Government, in connection with an alleged N30 billion fraud. Ibrahim, the Chief Executive Officer of Formal Act Legacy Limited, is accused of defrauding numerous contractors by posing as a government consultant, even after his official dealings with the state concluded in 2023.
In a statement posted on X, the EFCC outlined that Ibrahim allegedly told his victims that he had a 2020 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kaduna State Government to secure intervention grants from global donor agencies, aimed at funding Local Government Area (LGA) projects and supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the state.
Despite the termination of his MoU in October 2023, Ibrahim is said to have continued issuing fictitious contracts to contractors, convincing them to supply medical and utility items such as hospital beds, drugs, boreholes, and ambulances. The EFCC further alleged that Ibrahim falsely claimed he was acting on behalf of the state government.
According to the EFCC, the goods were never delivered to the intended LGAs. Instead, they were reportedly diverted for personal gain, stored in secret warehouses, or sold. “He kept contractors in the dark, refused to pay for the items, and stored the goods in undisclosed warehouses,” the EFCC stated.
Additional allegations include the sale of fraudulent contract papers through intermediaries. The EFCC noted that these deceptive practices, combined with Ibrahim’s unauthorized alterations of the contracts’ terms, led to the termination of his MoU with the state government in 2023.
During their operation, EFCC operatives seized several items, including Toyota Hilux vans, ambulances, buses, dispatch motorcycles, heavy-duty generators, and a significant amount of hospital equipment. Medical supplies such as syrups, capsules, creams, syringes, gloves, and vaccines, many intended for children, were also recovered from a private warehouse.
To ensure the safety and authenticity of the drugs, the EFCC has partnered with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Kaduna State Ministry of Health. Umar Suleiman, a NAFDAC official, confirmed that some of the recovered medical products were expired, counterfeit, or sourced from unregistered companies.
Abubakar Balarabe, a pharmacist from the Kaduna State Ministry of Health, expressed concerns about the condition of the warehouse where the medical supplies were stored. “The facility was unsuitable for storing medicines due to the improper manner in which they were kept,” he stated.
The EFCC confirmed that Ibrahim will face prosecution once investigations are completed.
