EFCC arraigns man over N603.4m fake NNPC GMD appointment scam

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday arraigned one Gidado Ibrahim before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, over an alleged N603.4 million fraud linked to a fake appointment into the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Ibrahim was arraigned alongside Halimat Tejusho, who is currently at large, before H. Muazu (Justice) on an amended six-count charge bordering on fraud, obtaining money under false pretence and forgery.

According to the EFCC, the defendants allegedly obtained the sum of N603,400,000 from a petitioner, Oluseye Yomi-Sholoye, under the guise of facilitating her appointment as the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the NNPC, a claim investigators said was entirely fictitious.

At Monday’s proceedings, prosecuting counsel, Y. Tarfa, informed the court of an amended six-count charge and requested that the defendant be allowed to take his plea.

One of the charges alleged that between August and October 2024, within the jurisdiction of the court, Ibrahim and Tejusho obtained the said sum from the petitioner by falsely representing that they had the capacity to secure her appointment as NNPC GMD.

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The prosecution stated that the act contravened Section 1(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and is punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.

Another count alleged that Ibrahim, sometime in August 2024 in Abuja, knowingly used a forged document titled “Presidential Villa State House, Office of the National Security Adviser”, presenting it as genuine to further the alleged fraud.

The offence is said to be contrary to Sections 366 and 364 of the Penal Code Law.

When the charges were read to him, Ibrahim pleaded not guilty to all six counts.

Following the plea, the prosecution asked the court to fix a trial date and remand the defendant in a correctional facility pending trial.

However, defence counsel, B.B. Alhaji, informed the court that a bail application had been filed but was not yet ripe for hearing.

He urged the court to order that the defendant be remanded in EFCC custody instead of a correctional centre, citing his client’s health condition.

Muazu adjourned the matter to February 17, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Facility.

The EFCC said efforts are ongoing to arrest the second defendant, who remains at large.

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