EFCC Arraigns Ali Bala and Yusuf Umar Anka for Alleged £110,000, ₦500m Fraud in Lagos

The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday, September 4, 2026, arraigned Ali Bala and Yusuf Umar Anka before Justice Olukayode Ogunjobi of the State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, for an alleged £110,000 and ₦500 million fraud.
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The defendants are standing trial on a 10-count charge bordering on money laundering, stealing, and retention of stolen property.

One of the counts reads: “That you, ALI BALA (a.k.a. Barrister Ahmed) and YUSUF UMAR ANKA, sometime in 2025 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conducted financial transactions involving proceeds of your unlawful activities to disguise the source of the stolen £110,000.00 (One Hundred and Ten Thousand Pounds Sterling), and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 7(1)(b)(i) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.”

The defendants pleaded “not guilty” to the charge.

In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, H.U. Kofarnaisa, requested for a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendants in a correctional facility.

Defence counsel, however, informed the court of a pending bail application.

EFCC

In his ruling, Justice Ogunjobi adjourned the matter to September 8, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application, and ordered that the defendants be remanded in EFCC custody pending the hearing.
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Nigerian Navy Destroys Illegal Refineries, Recovers Stolen Crude in Niger Delta

The Nigerian Navy has dismantled illegal refining sites and recovered 99,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil in separate operations across the Niger Delta region.
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The Director, Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Thursday, adding that the operations were carried out on Monday, August 31, 2026, by the Nigerian Navy Ships (NNS) SOROH and NNS DELTA, following credible intelligence on suspected illegal petroleum activities.

The statement read, “The Nigerian Navy has intensified anti-crude oil theft operations, discovers 99,000 litres of suspected stolen and illegally refined products.

“The discoveries were made in separate operations conducted by Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH and NNS DELTA on 31 August 2026, following credible intelligence on suspected illegal petroleum activities,” Navy Captain Folorunsho said.

Folorunsho said that during the operations, naval personnel uncovered extensive illegal refining infrastructure, including a large refining oven, storage facilities and dugout reservoirs containing suspected stolen crude oil.

He added that the identified sites, facilities and recovered products were “appropriately handled in accordance with established procedures.”

Folorunsho noted that the latest successes highlighted the Nigerian Navy’s resolve to “maintain pressure across multiple operational areas while denying criminal networks the infrastructure required to sustain crude oil theft and illegal refining activities.”

The Navy reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining maritime security operations to protect the nation’s oil and gas assets and curb economic sabotage in the region.

Nigerian Navy

“The latest successes demonstrate the Nigerian Navy’s ability to maintain pressure across multiple operational areas while denying criminal networks the infrastructure required to sustain crude oil theft and illegal refining activities”, the statement concluded.
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EFCC Arraigns Mahmud A. Abubakar for Alleged N1.09b Fraud in Abuja

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, arraigned one Mahmud A. Abubakar before Justice N.C. Nwabulu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja.
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Abubakar was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on retention of proceeds of a criminal activity to the tune of N1,098,976,008 (One Billion, Ninety-Eight Million, Nine Hundred and Seventy-six Thousand and Eight Naira).

Count one reads: “That you Mahmud A. Abubakar, between January 2024 and December 2024, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did retain control of the proceeds of a criminal conduct totalling N795,360,000 (Seven Hundred and Ninety-five million, Three hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira) in your Access Bank with name Mahmud A. Abubakar and number 0057310017, which sum you knew that the same was derived from criminal conduct and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 17(a) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004 and punishable under Section 17(b) of the same Act.”

Count two reads: “That you Mahmud A. Abubakar, between January 2024 and December 2024, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did transfer proceeds of a criminal conduct totalling N303,616,008 (Three Hundred and Three Million, Six Hundred and Sixteen Thousand Eight Naira) from your Access Bank with name Mahmud A. Abubakar and number 0057310017, to one Suleiman Umar which sum you knew that the same was derived from criminal conduct and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 17(a) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004 and punishable under Section 17(b) of the same Act.”

He pleaded “not guilty,” to the charges, prompting the prosecution counsel, Y.Y. Tarfa, to request a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded in a Correctional Centre, while the defence counsel, A. M. Aliyu, filed a bail application, which was not opposed by the prosecution counsel.

Justice Nwabulu granted the defendant bail with two sureties, both of whom must be Level 15 civil servants, with one required to be a landed property owner in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

EFCC

The judge further ordered that the defendant be remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions and adjourned the matter till September 30, 2026, for commencement of trial.
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