The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned two suspects for their alleged involvement in a N600 million job fraud linked to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
This is according to a statement on X by the EFCC on February 9, 2026.
The suspects were arraigned before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja on charges of fraud, obtaining money by false pretence and forgery, in a case that highlights ongoing efforts to clamp down on job‑related scams
What the EFCC said
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Gidado Ibrahim and Halimat Adenike Tejusho were arraigned on an amended six‑count charge accusing them of defrauding a victim of N603,400,000 by falsely promising to secure her appointment as Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
The commission said the alleged offences contravene sections of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, as well as the Penal Code Law for forgery.
- Count one of the charge reads: “That you GIDADO IBRAHIM and HALIMAT ADENIKE TEJUSHO O (now at large) between August 2024 to October 2024 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court obtained the sum of N603, 400,000.00. (Six Hundred and Three Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira) from OLUSEYE YOMI – SHOLOYE under the false pretence that you will facilitate her appointment as the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
- Count two of the charge also reads “That you, GIDADO IBRAHIM sometime in August, 2024 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honorable court did use as genuine a forged document titled “Presidential Villa State House, OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER” when you knew or had reason to believe it to be forged and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 366 of the Penal Code Law and Punishable under Section 364 of the same Law. “
More insights
At the proceedings on Monday, prosecution counsel Y. Tarfa urged the court to allow the defendants to take their pleas on the amended charge.
- Gidado Ibrahim pleaded not guilty to all six counts when the charges were read. The second accused, Halimat Adenike Tejusho, is currently at large.
- Because of Ibrahim’s not guilty plea, the prosecution asked the court to set a trial date and remand him in a correctional centre. His counsel, B.B. Alhaji, told the court he had filed a bail application and urged the court to remand Ibrahim in EFCC custody pending bail hearing, citing his health status.
Justice Muazu adjourned the case to February 17, 2026 for the hearing of the bail application and ordered that Ibrahim be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Facility.
What you should know
The EFCC has previously secured convictions in employment and job-related scams.
- In one case, a former banker was sentenced to eight years in prison for defrauding job seekers of more than N120 million by promising government and agency employment that never materialised, following an EFCC investigation and prosecution.
- A 33-year-old civil servant was arraigned on allegations of defrauding multiple job seekers of N3.2 million by claiming he could secure employment for them, another example of how individuals exploit job hopes for financial gain
- The EFCC has previously arrested a four-member syndicate for impersonating its Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, in a $1 million fraud, where suspects posed as officials and demanded payments under false pretences before being taken into custody on credible intelligence.
Cases of fraudulent job offers and employment scams have also led federal agencies and authorities to warn the public about fake recruitment exercises circulating online, with official bodies stressing that legitimate recruitment comes only through authorised channels.
