Blessing Omale, Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Bashir Bello Ibrahim, the Chief Executive Officer of Formal Act Legacy Limited and a former contractor with the Kaduna State government, over an alleged N30 billion fraud involving fake contracts, misrepresentation, and hoarding of expired drugs and medical supplies.
According to a statement released by Dele Oyewale, Head of Media and Publicity at the EFCC, Ibrahim was arrested by the Commission’s Kaduna Zonal Directorate following a deluge of over 250 petitions from alleged victims of his elaborate scam.
Despite the termination of his contract with the Kaduna State government, Ibrahim is accused of fraudulently parading himself as a consultant to all 23 local government areas (LGAs) in the state.
He also claimed to be affiliated with the United Charity Foundation (UCF), the Foundation for Inclusive Community and Rural Development (FICCORD), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Office.
The EFCC said that while Ibrahim had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government in 2020 to attract international donor funding for LGA projects, the agreement was officially terminated in October 2023 due to multiple breaches.
Despite this, he allegedly continued awarding fictitious contracts without authorization, deceiving contractors into supplying a wide range of materials, including hospital beds, borehole equipment, drugs, and medical consumables, which he claimed were meant for public projects.
Investigations revealed that Ibrahim did not only receive these goods under false pretenses but also sold off some of them and diverted the proceeds for personal use.
In many cases, he reportedly stored the items in private warehouses without notifying the intended LGAs and failed to pay the contractors involved.
The EFCC further alleges that Ibrahim used proxies to sell fake contract award papers and altered contract terms unilaterally, a move that contributed to the earlier termination of his agreement with the state.
Items recovered during the investigation include Toyota Hilux pickup vans, ambulances, buses, dispatch motorcycles, hospital beds, heavy-duty generators, and a significant quantity of drugs and vaccines.
A search of his office storage facility uncovered expired and substandard medicines, including tablets, syrups, creams, hand gloves, syringes, and other medical consumables.
The EFCC is now working closely with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Kaduna State Ministry of Health to assess the condition and legality of the medical supplies found.
Umar Ahmad Suleiman, an officer with NAFDAC’s Federal Task Force, confirmed that while some of the seized drugs were from registered manufacturers and still within their shelf life, others were expired or counterfeit, with some produced by unregistered companies.
Abubakar Isa Balarabe, a pharmacist and team leader from the Kaduna State Ministry of Health, also raised concerns about the unsafe storage conditions, describing the warehouse as unfit for holding any medicinal products.
The EFCC has stated that Ibrahim will be charged to court upon conclusion of the ongoing investigation.
