NIGERIA: Husband And Wife Allegedly Impersonates Katsina State First Lady, Defraud Victims N197M

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria 

A couple, Baba Sule Abubakar Sadiq and Hafsat Kabir Lawal, alongside two accomplices, Abdullahi Bala and Ladani Akindele, have been arraigned before Justice Amina Bello of the Kaduna State High Court for allegedly defrauding victims of N197,750,000 by impersonating the First Lady of Katsina State, Fatima Dikko Radda.

This was contained in a press statement, disclosed by the Head of Media and Publicity of the Commission, Dele Oyewale on Wednesday.

According to the statement, EFCC brought the suspects before the court on Monday, March 9, 2025, on six-count charges bordering on obtaining money by false pretenses, money laundering, and stealing.

Investigations also has it that, Hafsat Kabir Lawal allegedly posed as one of the wives of the Katsina State Governor and, under that guise, defrauded victims by offering fake foreign exchange deals. She reportedly obtained N89,000,000 from Aminu Usman and another N108,000,000 from another petitioner, claiming she had a total of $118,300 to exchange.

The statement further revealed that her husband, Sadiq, facilitated the scheme by providing Hafsat with two SIM cards registered under the name “Fatima Dikko Radda” on Truecaller.

He allegedly conspired with Ladani Akindele, a former bank colleague, to obtain the contact of Unity Bank Chairman Hafiz Bashir, which ultimately led them to one of their victims, a bureau de change operator.

The funds were deposited into an account belonging to the third defendant, Abdullahi Bala, and were subsequently distributed among the accused and laundered through various channels.

When the charges were read in court, all four defendants pleaded not guilty. The prosecution counsel, Bright C. Ogbonna, requested a trial date and urged the court to remand the suspects in a correctional facility. Defense counsels—M.S. Katu (SAN) for the first and second defendants, Jazuli Mustapha for the third, and Paul A. Okachi for the fourth—applied for bail, but the prosecution objected, arguing that the applications were not yet ripe for hearing.

Justice Bello upheld the prosecution’s argument and ordered the remand of the defendants in a correctional facility, adjourning the case to March 17, 2025, for the hearing of bail applications.

However, the EFCC has vowed to ensure justice is served in the case, warning the public against falling prey to fraudulent financial schemes.