The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has brought charges against two individuals, Ojobo Joshua and Aliyu Hashim, for allegedly impersonating the anti-graft agency’s chairman, Ola Olukoyede, in a scheme to extort $700,000 from Mohammed Bello-Koko, the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
The suspects were arraigned on Wednesday before Justice Jude Onwuebuzie at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo, Abuja.
According to the EFCC, Joshua and Hashim approached Bello-Koko, falsely claiming they could influence an ongoing investigation against him.
They demanded $1 million in exchange for securing a “soft landing” for him and threatened arrest and prosecution if he refused to comply with their demands.
The pair face a four-count charge, including impersonation and attempted fraud, under the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act of 2006. The court heard that on September 28, 2024, the accused attempted to extort $700,000 from Bello-Koko by falsely claiming they could stop a fabricated EFCC investigation.
Both Joshua and Hashim pleaded not guilty to the charges. EFCC prosecutor Elizabeth Alabi requested their detention pending trial, while the defense applied for bail.
Justice Onwuebuzie granted bail to Joshua with strict conditions, including a N100 million bond and two level-16 civil service sureties. The defendants were ordered to remain at the Kuje Correctional Centre until these conditions were met. The hearing for Hashim’s bail was set for November 18, 2024.
The suspects, believed to be part of a four-person syndicate impersonating EFCC officials, were arrested on August 28, 2024, in the Garki and Apo legislative quarters of Abuja.
