An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operative has told the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja how the agency arrested two men accused of posing as officials of the commission to obtain $700,000 from former Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Managing Director, Mohammed Bello-Koko.

According to a statement shared by the EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale on Wednesday, Tanko Abubakar, the second prosecution witness, testified in the trial of Ojobo Joshua and Aliyu Hashim.

The EFCC alleges that the defendants told Mr Bello-Koko that his tenure as NPA Managing Director was under investigation and demanded $1 million to stop the probe.

They allegedly claimed the money was required by EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede and the commission’s director of operations. The amount was eventually reduced to $700,000, according to the prosecution.

The defendants were arraigned on 13 November 2024 and pleaded not guilty, according to TransparencIT, a platform that tracks corruption cases in Nigeria. They face amended four charges of impersonation, conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence.

The defendants allegedly threatened Mr Bello-Koko with arrest and prosecution if he refused to cooperate, while claiming they could secure a “soft landing” for him through Mr Olukoyede.

Mr Abubakar told the court that he became involved in the investigation in 2024 after the EFCC’s Abuja zonal director received intelligence that the defendants were attempting to defraud the former NPA managing director.

“The Abuja zonal director informed me that there is an intelligence that the first and second defendants were attempting to defraud the former MD, NPA, Muhammad Bello-Koko in the sum of $1,000,000 and one of the suspects claiming to be a personal assistant to the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede,” he said.

The witness, who is attached to the commission’s Land and Property Section in Ibadan, Oyo State, stated that Mr Bello-Koko told him that Mr Hashim had claimed to know the person posing as the EFCC chairman’s aide.

Mr Bello-Koko subsequently introduced him to Mr Hashim, whom he contacted in August 2024 to discuss the matter.

Mr Abubakar said Mr Hashim invited him to Crystal Palace Hotel on Gimbiya Street, Area 11, Abuja, where he was told they would meet Mr Joshua. They later met at the Legislative Quarters in Apo, where Mr Joshua arrived in two vehicles.

According to the witness, Mr Joshua asked whether Mr Hashim had told him how much was needed to end the purported investigation.

“The first defendant told me and Koko to bring $1,000,000. I pleaded with him that we cannot raise such an amount,” Mr Abubakar told the court.

He said he offered $300,000, but Mr Joshua rejected it. A subsequent offer of $500,000 was also turned down before Mr Hashim persuaded Mr Joshua to accept $700,000, the witness said.

Mr Abubakar said he reported the agreement to his zonal director, who assembled an investigative team comprising him, Hakeem Lasisi, Abdulhamid Wodi and Olalekan Ogunjobi.

On 28 August 2024, he informed the defendants that he had returned from Kaduna with the money and was heading to the EFCC headquarters to deliver it. Mr Joshua instead directed him to meet at an A.A. Rano filling station along Lugbe Road, Abuja.

The witness stated that Mr Joshua arrived in a Hilux and another SUV, with three armed mobile police officers in the Hilux. Mr Hashim also arrived, but the EFCC team could not make an arrest because its operatives at the scene were unarmed, he said.

Mr Abubakar said he contacted his office, which mobilised armed personnel for another attempt.

He later told Mr Hashim that the money was ready and was directed to meet him at Crystal Palace Hotel. After Mr Joshua failed to answer his calls, the witness sent him a text message confirming that the money was available. Mr Joshua subsequently called and directed him to meet Mr Hashim.

Mr Abubakar said he drove to Gimbiya Street and showed Mr Hashim the bag containing the money. EFCC operatives then moved in and arrested him.

He noted that Mr Hashim initially denied knowing Mr Joshua’s residence but later led the operatives there after Mr Joshua requested a video call to confirm that the money was ready.

According to the witness, Mr Joshua’s wife allowed the operatives into the house, where they found him inside his store and arrested him. Both men were taken to the EFCC headquarters.

Prosecution lawyer Elizabeth Alabi told the court that Hakeem Lasisi, the witness originally scheduled to testify, was unavailable because he was on an official assignment outside the country. The court allowed Mr Abubakar to testify in his place.

The trial judge Jude Onwuegbuzie adjourned the case until Thursday (today), for continuation of the trial.