The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday arraigned a former National Coordinator of the multi-sectoral crisis recovery project of the North-East Development Commission (NEDC), Danjuma Mohammed, alongside the Chief Executive Officer of Bondpay, Prince Chibuike Echem, over an alleged ₦2.28 billion contract fraud.
The defendants were docked before Justice Keziah Ogbonnaya of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Zuba, Abuja, on a 54-count amended charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence, advance fee fraud, and forgery.
A third suspect, Aminu Alhaji, is currently at large.
According to the EFCC, the alleged offences were committed between 2022 and 2024, when the defendants allegedly posed as contract facilitators with links to major government agencies to defraud an indigenous construction and equipment supply firm, Diamond Leeds Limited.
In the charge marked CR/708/25, Mohammed and Echem are listed as the first and second defendants, respectively.
Count One alleged that between May 2022 and February 2024 in Abuja, the defendants conspired with Aminu Alhaji to obtain the sum of ₦2,280,000,000 from the Managing Director of Diamond Leeds Limited, Kenneth Ifekudu, under false pretences, an offence contrary to the Advance Fee Fraud and other fraud related offences Act, 2006.
Another count further states that between January and December 2023, the defendants allegedly obtained ₦573.5 million from Diamond Leeds through a Wema Bank account belonging to Echem, on the false claim that they had the capacity to secure and execute contracts under the NEDC’s multi-sectoral crisis recovery and stability programme.
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The EFCC said the defendants knew the claim to be false.
When the charges were read in court, Mohammed and Echem pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Following their plea, the EFCC counsel, Olarenwaju Adeola, asked the court to remand the defendants in custody pending the hearing of the case.
However, defence counsel, Chukwuka Obidike, told the court that a bail application had already been filed on behalf of the defendants.
The prosecution opposed the immediate hearing of the application, arguing that it had only been served a day earlier and needed time to file a counter-affidavit.
Justice Ogbonnaya agreed with the prosecution and ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Suleja Correctional Centre, citing its proximity to the court.
She adjourned the matter to March 25 for the hearing of the bail applications.
EFCC investigations revealed that although Diamond Leeds Limited was allegedly issued contract award letters, the company was never allowed to mobilise engineers or equipment to project sites in the North-East.
Mohammed was said to have cited insecurity in the region as justification for the delay.
Further findings showed that the defendants allegedly opened a Guaranty Trust Bank account bearing the acronym “NEDC,” through which part of the funds was returned to the complainant under the guise of payment for equipment supplied.
Speaking after the adjournment, lead counsel to the nominal complainant, Beth Igwilo (SAN), said the prosecution would call at least seven witnesses during the trial.
Diamond Leeds Limited also alleged that all contract documents presented to it for execution were forged, expressing disappointment that Echem, who had benefited from its goodwill, allegedly conspired with others to defraud it.
The EFCC said additional fraudulent activities linked to Mohammed were uncovered during investigations, which reportedly led to his removal from his position at the NEDC.
