The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a man who posed as a senior official of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), swindling victims out of millions. The suspect, Ibrahim Nuhu Shuaibu, appeared before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court, facing multiple charges of fraud, impersonation, and criminal breach of trust.
The Kaduna Zonal Command of the EFCC brought Shuaibu to court on a seven-count charge that includes conspiracy, impersonation, and obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N100 million. His accomplice, Ilya Garba, has since passed away. Shuaibu’s charges stem from a scheme where he falsely claimed to be an NNPCL Group Executive Director and fraudulently convinced his victims to pay large sums of money, promising to supply them with petroleum products that were never delivered.
One of the charges against Shuaibu reads: “That you, Nuhu Ibrahim Shuaibu (a.k.a Ishaku Abdulrazak) and Ilya Garba (now deceased), sometime in 2017, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired to obtain money under false pretence, an offence contrary to Section 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
Another charge states: “That you, Nuhu Ibrahim Shuaibu (a.k.a Ishaku Abdulrazak), sometime in 2018, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N47,050,000.00 from one Faisal Safiyanu by falsely claiming to supply petroleum products, knowing the claim to be false, an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offenses Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
Shuaibu pleaded not guilty to all charges when they were read in court. The prosecution counsel, M. Lawal, immediately requested the court to set a trial date. Shuaibu’s counsel, AbdulKareem Audu, did not file a bail application, leading Justice Khobo to order the defendant’s remand in EFCC custody until the next hearing.
Shuaibu’s fraudulent activities date back to 2017 when he introduced himself to a victim as an executive director of NNPCL, promising to help the individual procure over 2,000 litres of petroleum products. The victim transferred substantial sums into Shuaibu’s accounts, but Shuaibu failed to deliver the goods or refund the money, leaving the victim defrauded and frustrated.
This case highlights the EFCC’s ongoing efforts to tackle financial crimes, especially those involving fraudsters who exploit the trust of unsuspecting individuals under the guise of influential positions.
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