The trial of Ojobo Joshua and Aliyu Hashim continued on Thursday, 22 October 2026, before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo, Abuja. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the pair on an amended four count charge of impersonation, conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence.
The EFCC alleges that Joshua impersonated the Personal Assistant to its Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede. Together with Hashim, he is said to have approached former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Muhammad Bello Koko, and claimed that Koko’s tenure at the ports authority was under investigation. The defendants allegedly told Koko that the EFCC Chairman and the Director of Operations had demanded one million United States dollars to halt the supposed probe. The amount was later negotiated down to 700,000 dollars, which the prosecution says the pair obtained under false pretences.
At Thursday’s hearing, the second prosecution witness, Tanko Abubakar, an EFCC operative attached to the Land and Property Section of the Ibadan Zonal Command, identified several items recovered during the investigation. These included a brown bag containing 100,000 dollars in marked notes, three mobile phones (a Samsung Galaxy Flip and a Samsung Galaxy Note recovered from Hashim, and an iPhone 11 Pro Max recovered from Joshua), a white flash drive containing video recordings, and a black 2016 Toyota Prado sport utility vehicle with registration number GWA 666 EA recovered from Hashim.
Abubakar told the court that investigators had recorded Hashim during a video call with Joshua in which Hashim confirmed receipt of the purported money. He also identified the flash drive as containing recordings of the defendants’ statements at EFCC headquarters.
Prosecution counsel sought to tender the items as exhibits. Counsel for Joshua, O. Nwosu, raised no objection. Counsel for Hashim, M. B. Inuwa, objected. After hearing submissions from both sides, Justice Onwuegbuzie admitted the Prado, the three phones, the marked currency, the brown bag and the flash drive as exhibits PW2A to PW2F. He then adjourned the matter to 26 October 2026 for continuation of the trial.
The defendants were first arraigned before the same court in November 2024 and pleaded not guilty. The case has since proceeded with evidence from prosecution witnesses, including details of an undercover operation that led to the arrests of the two men in August 2024 at locations in Abuja.
By John James
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