EFCC arrests Babangida, others

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested a man identified as Ibrahim Babangida, for offences bordering on criminal breach of trust, attempted theft, conspiracy and impersonation.

Also arrested with him is another suspect bearing Murtala Mohammed, along with the driver of the agency, who was identified as Nasiru Isa.

The driver, who joined the Commission about 18 months ago, is a member of a criminal syndicate that attempted to break into a sealed property by the EFCC, with the intent of carting away goods suspected to be proceeds of money laundering.

The syndicate, apart from Isa, Babangida and Mohammed, includes a mobile police officer, Corporal Aliyu Ismaila, Abubakar Jibrin, Abdulsalam Ado, Reuben Dauda, Hassan Aliyu, Sani Yusuf.

Located in the choice area of Garki, Abuja, the property is currently under investigation by the agency, and became a subject of interest, in the aftermath of findings into the N3.9 billion fraud case involving a former Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (retd). The property was also linked to the wife of the former CDS.

Investigations by EFCC operatives revealed that shortly after the property was sealed, some individuals moved about 12 bags believed to contain items linked to money laundering offence, into the property.

On August 30, operatives of the EFCC as part of monitoring activities on the sealed property, had gone to site to execute a search. However, members of the syndicate took to their heels on sighting the operatives of the anti-graft agency. A carpenter, Yakubu Muhammad, who was hired by the syndicate, was left behind and was subsequently arrested by the operatives.

The carpenter, who has been cooperating with operatives, confessed that he was not in the know of the illicit activity. He said he was only brought in by the syndicate to assist with the use of his carpentry tools to break into the property.

Investigations revealed that one of those in the know about the goods was the brain behind the scheming to steal them. The syndicate decided they would need to subdue the security man at the property, which would mean they would need to involve security personnel in the syndicate.

Subsequently, Mr. Isa was contacted. To further beef up the security aspect of the crime, he also contacted his friend, Mr. Ismaila, who came for the “operation” fully armed. In perpetrating the crime, Mr. Dauda had posed to be a senior staff with the EFCC, while Mr. Jibrin posed as an Intelligence police officer in the office of the Inspector General of Police

However, nemesis caught up with them on August 30 when they were caught in the act of breaking into the property, having successfully overpowered the security guard at the entrance.

They would be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.