The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Jikwoyi, Abuja, has convicted Haruna Mamuda and Sadiq Umar for impersonating operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to defraud members of the public.
Justice M. Zubairu delivered the conviction after the defendants pleaded guilty to a five-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, impersonation and unlawful representation. The court adjourned the matter until July 22, 2026, for sentencing and ordered that the convicts remain in EFCC custody pending the hearing.
According to the prosecution, the defendants, alongside Salifu Mustapha, who is standing trial separately, falsely presented themselves as EFCC officers in March and used the assumed identities to deceive unsuspecting members of the public.
While urging the court to impose an appropriate sentence, the prosecution noted that one of the convicts is a dismissed member of the Nigerian Army and is also facing separate charges related to alleged terrorism financing and kidnapping before the Department of State Services (DSS).
In a related development, another FCT High Court presided over by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie adjourned until October 21, 2026, the trial of Ojobo Joshua and Aliyu Hashim, who are facing charges of conspiracy, impersonation and obtaining 700,000 US dollars by false pretence.
The EFCC alleged that the duo impersonated officials of the anti-graft agency and fraudulently demanded money from a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), claiming they could halt an ongoing investigation.
The anti-graft agency has reiterated its warning to Nigerians to verify the identity of anyone claiming to represent the Commission and to report suspected cases of impersonation through its official channels.
