Fake EFCC Operative Nabbed In Abuja, Admits Impersonation, Fraud In Court

Abuja, Nigeria– A man accused of posing as an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians has been arraigned before a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja.

The defendant, Salifu Olije Mustapha, was on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, brought before Justice A.I. Akobi at the Kubwa Division of the court on a four-count charge bordering on impersonation and misrepresentation.

According to the prosecution, Mustapha allegedly paraded himself as an EFCC officer and participated in fraudulent activities aimed at extorting members of the public.

One of the charges revealed that in March 2026, Mustapha falsely presented himself as a Nigerian Air Force officer and collaborated with two accomplices—identified as Abubakar, who is currently at large, and Haruna Mamuda, said to be under investigation by another law enforcement agency.

The trio allegedly dressed in fake EFCC operational uniforms and used a Toyota Corolla with registration number KTU399GT to carry out fraudulent operations around Sheriff Plaza in Wuse II, Abuja.

The charge stated that the suspects used the guise of law enforcement authority to harass and defraud unsuspecting victims, an offence punishable under Sections 84(c) and 132 of the Penal Code Act.

In another count, Mustapha was accused of impersonating a public servant by falsely claiming to be an officer of the Nigerian Air Force, an act through which he reportedly deceived members of the public for financial gain.

When the charges were read in court, Mustapha pleaded guilty to all four counts.

Following his plea, prosecution counsel R.U. Adaga urged the court to convict and sentence the defendant accordingly.

Justice Akobi subsequently adjourned the case until June 1, 2026, for sentencing.

The EFCC disclosed that Mustapha was arrested after intelligence reports linked him to a syndicate involved in impersonating anti-graft operatives. He was reportedly caught wearing a fake EFCC uniform alongside accomplices while stopping and extorting motorists in Abuja.

According to the counts, “That you, Salifu Olije Mustapha sometime in March 2026, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while falsely pretending to be a Nigerian Air Force officer did abet the duo of Abubakar (now at large) and Haruna Mamuda (currently undergoing investigation with another law enforcement agency by conveying them fully dressed in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s operational uniforms as operatives of Commission in a Toyota Corolla with Registration No. KTU399GT to Sheriff Plaza, Wuse II, Abuja to defraud unsuspecting members of the public and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 84(c) and punishable under Section 132 of the Penal Code Act”

“That you, Salifu Olije Mustapha sometime in March 2026, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, impersonated a Public Servant by falsely presenting yourself as officer of the Nigerian Air Force and in that assumed character defrauded unsuspecting members of the public and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 132 of the Penal Code Act”