The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has brought before the court a man accused of masterminding a multi-million-naira scam linked to a fake promise of securing the top leadership position at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
One of the suspects, Gidado Ibrahim, was arraigned on Monday at the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja. His alleged accomplice, Halimat Adenike Tejusho, is said to be on the run. Both are being prosecuted over an amended six-count charge bordering on fraud and obtaining money by false pretence.
The EFCC told the court that the suspects allegedly collected a total of N603.4 million from Oluseye Yomi-Sholoye between August and October 2024. The money was reportedly obtained under the claim that they could influence her appointment as Group Managing Director of NNPC Limited, a claim investigators say was entirely false.
Prosecutors further alleged that the suspects created and relied on a forged document bearing the heading of the Office of the National Security Adviser at the Presidential Villa to convince the victim of their supposed influence within government circles.
According to the charge, Ibrahim knowingly presented the forged document as authentic, an action the EFCC said amounts to a separate criminal offence under the Penal Code.
Ibrahim pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were read in court. Following his plea, prosecution counsel Y. Tarfa asked the court to fix a date for trial and requested that the defendant be remanded in custody.
However, defence counsel B. B. Alhaji urged the court to allow his client remain in EFCC custody rather than a correctional facility, citing health-related concerns while a formal bail application is prepared.
In his ruling, Justice H. Muazu ordered that Ibrahim be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre and adjourned the case until February 17, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application.
