The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Bashir Ibrahim, a former contractor with the Kaduna State Government, over an alleged fraud totaling N30 billion. Ibrahim, Chief Executive Officer of Formal Act Legacy Limited, is accused of deceiving dozens of contractors by posing as a government consultant even after his official dealings with the state ended in 2023.
In a post on X, the EFCC stated, “It is also alleged that he informed his victims that he had a 2020 Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the Kaduna State government for the purpose of sourcing intervention grants from global donor agencies for the funding of LGA projects in the state and supporting the actualization of SDGs within the state.”
Despite the termination of his MoU in October 2023, Ibrahim allegedly continued to issue fictitious contracts to contractors, who were persuaded to supply medical and utility items such as hospital beds, drugs, boreholes, and ambulances. According to the EFCC, “He convinced contractors to supply materials meant for hospitals and water projects — such as beds, drugs, boreholes, and ambulances — claiming he was acting on behalf of the government.”
The commission said the items were never delivered to the intended local government areas. Instead, they were allegedly diverted for personal gain, stored in secret warehouses, or sold off. “He kept the contractors in the dark, refused to pay for the items, and stored the goods in warehouses unknown to the supposed beneficiaries,” the EFCC added.
Further allegations include the sale of fake contract papers through middlemen. “These fraudulent acts coupled with his unilateral alteration of the nature of the contracts and their terms allegedly led to the termination of the MoU he had with the state government in 2023,” the commission said.
During the operation, EFCC operatives recovered Toyota Hilux vans, ambulances, buses, dispatch motorcycles, heavy-duty generators, and a large cache of hospital equipment. Medical supplies such as capsules, syrups, creams, syringes, gloves, and vaccines — many intended for children — were also seized from a private warehouse.
To assess the safety and authenticity of the drugs, the EFCC is collaborating with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Kaduna State Ministry of Health. Umar Suleiman, a NAFDAC federal task force official, said, “Some of the recovered products have expired, while others were either counterfeit or from unregistered companies.”
Abubakar Balarabe, a pharmacist with the Kaduna State Ministry of Health, raised concerns about the condition of the warehouse where the drugs were kept. “The place is not fit for storing medicines because of the way and manner they were kept,” he said.
The EFCC confirmed that Ibrahim will be prosecuted once investigations are concluded.
