Olayiwola Matthew
Bashir Bello Ibrahim, a former contractor with the Kaduna State Government and Chief Executive Officer of Formal Act Legacy Limited, has been arrested by the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged involvement in multiple fraud schemes amounting to N30 billion.
It was alleged that despite the termination of his contract with the state government, the Commission received over 250 complaints accusing Ibrahim of posing as a consultant to the 23 local government areas in Kaduna State and to organisations such as the United Charity Foundation (UCF), FICCORD, and entities affiliated with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Office.
Ibrahim is alleged to have claimed he held a 2020 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kaduna State Government, purportedly enabling him to secure intervention grants from international donors for LGA development projects and SDG implementation. However, investigations confirmed that his MoU with the state government was terminated in October 2023 due to breaches of its terms. Furthermore, he was never an accredited consultant to UCF.
Despite the MoU’s termination, Ibrahim allegedly awarded fictitious contracts worth approximately N30 billion. He is accused of persuading contractors to supply materials—including hospital equipment, boreholes, medications, and vaccines—under the guise of state-sanctioned projects. He then allegedly diverted these items for personal gain, failed to remit payment to the contractors, and concealed deliveries from the LGAs.
Further investigations revealed that Ibrahim allegedly sold contract award documents using proxies and shared the proceeds, while also altering contract terms unilaterally. These fraudulent activities reportedly prompted the termination of his MoU with the government.
Items recovered from his possession include Toyota Hilux pickup vans, ambulances, buses, dispatch motorcycles, medical drugs and vaccines, hospital beds, mattresses, and heavy-duty generators. A significant stockpile of medical supplies—ranging from tablets and syrups to syringes and gloves—was found in substandard storage conditions.
The EFCC is working with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Kaduna State Ministry of Health to evaluate the safety and authenticity of the confiscated medical products. According to Umar Ahmad Suleiman of NAFDAC’s Federal Task Force, some of the drugs were produced by registered manufacturers, but several were expired or counterfeit, with others lacking manufacturer registration altogether.
Abubakar Isa Balarabe, a pharmacist with the Kaduna State Ministry of Health, confirmed that many of the medicines had expired and criticized the poor condition of the storage facilities, deeming them unsuitable for pharmaceutical storage.
The EFCC has stated that the suspect will be formally charged upon the conclusion of investigations.