Grant Fraud in Nigeria Erodes Donor Confidence

A civil society group has expressed alarm over the rising trend of grant fraud in Nigeria, which threatens donor confidence and undermines development support for grassroots initiatives. Ibrahim Igoch, an advocate, disclosed this during a meeting with officials from the Nigeria Police Zone 7 Command in Abuja.

The group is coordinating efforts across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to identify individuals and organizations involved in fraudulent activities within the grant value chain, including NGOs and beneficiaries. This initiative follows the arrest of Theophilus Ebonyi by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly defrauding victims of approximately N1.3 billion through a fake grant scheme.

The EFCC found that Ebonyi made false claims of affiliation with an international foundation to lure victims, who reportedly paid significant sums to participate. A federal high court in Lafia later ordered the forfeiture of properties linked to this case.