Items recovered from his possession include Toyota Hilux vehicles, ambulances, buses, motorcycles, hospital beds and mattresses, drugs, and heavy-duty generators.
Ɓy Ife Osemedua
365Daily – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Bashir Bello Ibrahim, a former Kaduna State government contractor and Chief Executive Officer of Formal Act Legacy Limited, over alleged fraudulent activities amounting to N30 billion.
According to a statement from the Commission’s Kaduna Zonal Directorate, Ibrahim allegedly continued to pose as a consultant to the 23 local government areas in Kaduna State and the United Charity Foundation (UCF), despite the termination of his Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government in October 2023. The EFCC said it received no fewer than 251 complaints against the suspect.
The suspect is accused of falsely claiming that he had a 2020 MoU with the Kaduna State Government to source grants from international donor agencies for local government projects and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) programmes in the state.
Investigations revealed that Ibrahim is not a consultant to UCF, and his MoU with the state government had been revoked due to breach of agreement terms.
Despite the termination, Ibrahim allegedly awarded fictitious contracts worth N30 billion, convincing contractors to supply items such as hospital equipment, drugs, and borehole materials, claiming they were for government use. The EFCC said he took delivery of the items, failed to inform the LGAs, and did not pay the suppliers. Some of the goods were allegedly sold, and proceeds diverted for personal use.
The Commission also discovered that the suspect sold contract award documents through proxies and altered contract terms without authorisation. Items recovered from his possession include Toyota Hilux vehicles, ambulances, buses, motorcycles, hospital beds and mattresses, drugs, and heavy-duty generators.
A joint inspection by NAFDAC and the Kaduna State Ministry of Health revealed that while some of the medicines were still within their shelf life, others were expired or counterfeit. The storage conditions were deemed unfit for medical supplies.
Umar Ahmad Suleiman of NAFDAC confirmed that some of the manufacturers were not registered, and the storage facility failed to meet basic standards. Abubakar Isa Balarabe, a pharmacist with the Kaduna State Ministry of Health, also noted the substandard condition of the warehouse.
The EFCC said the suspect will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.