By Lizzy Chirkpi
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has tendered a marked $100,000, three mobile phones, a flash drive and a Toyota Prado Jeep as exhibits in the trial of two men accused of impersonating the personal assistant to the commission’s chairman to defraud former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Muhammad Bello Koko, of $700,000.
The defendants, Ojobo Joshua and Aliyu Hashim, are facing an amended four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, impersonation and obtaining money by false pretence before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja.
At the resumed hearing on Thursday, October 22, 2026, the second prosecution witness, Tanko Abubakar, an EFCC operative attached to the Land and Property Section of its Ibadan Zonal Command, identified items recovered during the investigation.
Abubakar, who testified under examination by prosecution counsel, Elizabeth Alabi, identified a brown bag containing the marked $100,000, three mobile phones, a white flash drive containing video recordings and a black 2016 Toyota Prado Jeep with registration number GWA 666 EA, Abuja.
According to the prosecution, Joshua allegedly impersonated the personal assistant to EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede, while Hashim allegedly collaborated with him to obtain money from Koko.
The defendants allegedly approached the former NPA managing director under the guise of being EFCC operatives and claimed that his tenure at the authority was under investigation.
They allegedly told Koko that the EFCC chairman and the commission’s director of operations had demanded $1 million to halt the purported investigation. The parties eventually settled on $700,000, according to the prosecution.
Testifying on Thursday, Abubakar said his team recorded Hashim during a video call with Joshua in which the second defendant allegedly confirmed receiving the money.
“My team and I video-recorded the second defendant when he was making the video call with the first defendant, telling the first defendant that he had collected the money,” the witness told the court.
Identifying the contents of the brown bag, Abubakar said it contained “the sum of marked $100,000.00 US dollars which was taken from an exhibit.”
He also identified the white flash drive, which contained video recordings made during the investigation, including footage of the defendants giving their statements at the EFCC headquarters.
The witness further identified a Samsung Galaxy Flip and a Samsung Galaxy Note allegedly recovered from Hashim, as well as an iPhone 11 Pro Max seized from Joshua.
On the vehicle, Abubakar told the court that the Toyota Prado Jeep was recovered from Hashim and kept at the EFCC’s exhibit car dock before it was brought to the court premises.
The prosecution subsequently sought to tender the recovered items in evidence.
While counsel to the first defendant, O. Nwosu, did not oppose their admission, counsel to the second defendant, M. B. Inuwa, objected to the application.
After hearing the submissions of counsel, Justice Onwuegbuzie admitted the Prado Jeep, Samsung Galaxy Flip, Samsung Galaxy Note, iPhone 11 Pro Max, marked $100,000, brown bag and white flash drive as exhibits in the case.
The items were marked Exhibits PW2A, PW2B, PW2C, PW2D, PW2E and PW2F, respectively.
At the previous hearing on Wednesday, Abubakar had testified about the investigation, including how the team tracked the defendants and arrested Hashim at Crystal Palace Hotel in Area 11, Abuja, before arresting Joshua at his residence.
Justice Onwuegbuzie adjourned the case until October 26, 2026, for continuation of trial.