Hot SourceThe Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has revealed that the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), Abdul-Wahab Hanan Aludiba, and his wife, Faiza Seidu Wuni, have set a new precedent by surpassing an earlier couple involved in suspected criminal activities related to the theft of state funds.
Hanan and his wife, accused of a complex scheme that siphoned GH¢78.2 million from public funds, have surpassed the previous record held by Kwabena Adu Boahene, former Director-General of Ghana’s National Signals Bureau (NSB), and his wife, Angela Boateng, who are accused of embezzling GH¢49 million under similar circumstances.
Dr Ayine, who described the development as “a disturbing reminder of entrenched corruption within state supply systems,” disclosed that extensive investigations by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) had uncovered a sophisticated network of fraudulent contracts, ghost suppliers, and falsified payment claims operated under Mr Abdul-Wahab’s leadership at NAFCO.
“This investigation, which I personally refer to as ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’, has revealed systemic manipulation and diversion of public funds on an unprecedented scale,” Dr Ayine stated, however, the former NAFCO boss has denied the corruption allegations made against him by the Attorney General during a recent press engagement, describing the claims as “untrue” and “deeply unfortunate.”
According to the Attorney-General, the EOCO investigation revealed that between 2019 and 2023, the former NAFCO boss and his associates carried out multiple illegal transactions, inflating invoices, processing payments for non-existent supplies, and diverting funds intended for the purchase and storage of food items for the government’s school feeding and emergency food reserve programmes.
A key conduit in the scheme was Sawtina Enterprise, a company allegedly owned by NAFCO’s Northern Sector Manager, James Atieku-Apawu, which, in itself, created a conflict of interest for him.
Initial intelligence gathered by EOCO as of March 2025 estimated the amount stolen at GH¢58 million, but subsequent forensic audit reports raised it to GH¢78.2 million, confirming the operation as one of the most audacious financial crimes in recent public service history.
The Attorney-General assured the public that his office was preparing comprehensive dockets to ensure an airtight prosecution.
“The era where public officials treated state funds as personal property is over. We will pursue every pesewa and ensure that justice is served,” he declared.
Dr Ayine, addressing journalists inside the Jubilee House in Accra, as part of the Government Accountability Series coordinated by the Presidency Communications Directorate, announced that the couple would be charged with theft, conspiracy to steal, wilfully causing financial loss to the state, using public office for profit, obtaining public property by false statements, and money laundering.
The charges are expected to be filed today, Friday, 24th October 2025, before the Financial and Economic Crimes Division of the High Court.
According to the Attorney-General, the alleged theft of GH¢78.2 million from NAFCO is one of the largest single corruption cases uncovered in recent years. He said the scandal “shatters” the previous record of the Adu Boahene case, in which the former Buffer Stock accountant and his wife, Angela Boateng, were accused of diverting GH¢49 million.
“I called the criminal enterprise operated by Mr Abdul-Wahab and his collaborators at the Buffer Stock ‘the Rumble in the Jungle’,” Dr Ayine declared.
“Not only because of the huge amount of money at stake, but because, while food suppliers were wailing and gnashing their teeth over non-payment for their supplies to the Buffer Stock, and while our schoolchildren were being denied nutrition under the School Feeding Programme for lack of funds, Mr Abdul-Wahab and his collaborators were busy lawlessly looting funds meant for the programme. That is jungle behaviour.”
He explained that “rumble” also means “to discover an illicit activity or its perpetrator,” noting that painstaking investigations by EOCO uncovered the illegal network.
On 25th June 2025, EOCO conducted a coordinated operation that led to the arrest of Mr Abdul-Wahab, his wife, and several associates, including James Atieku, NAFCO’s Northern Sector Manager based in Tamale, and Emmanuel Arthur, Head of Corporate Affairs.
Initial investigations revealed that between 2017 and 2024, Mr Abdul-Wahab, in collusion with his wife and key NAFCO officials, orchestrated the diversion of GH¢78,269,084.04 from the company’s accounts at Republic Bank and Ecobank into private firms linked to the couple.
The funds were allegedly laundered through seven entities: Alqarni Enterprise, Aludiba Enterprise, Energy Partners Ltd, Fa-Hausa Ventures, Fa-Hausa Company Ltd, Aludiba Foundation, and Sawtina Enterprise, which were used to disguise the proceeds of the crime.
Dr Ayine said EOCO’s investigation established that while genuine supplies supported GH¢27.3 million in payments to Sawtina Enterprise, there was no evidence that the remaining GH¢50.8 million had any basis in legitimate transactions.
“Sawtina Enterprise became a conduit for the theft,” he said. “Payments were made under the pretext of food deliveries for the School Feeding Programme, but the funds were swiftly rerouted to accounts controlled by Mr Abdul-Wahab and his wife.”
Bank records indicated that Sawtina Enterprise transferred over GH¢40.4 million to entities directly linked to the couple, including GH¢16.1 million to Abdul-Wahab himself and GH¢23.9 million to Alqarni Enterprise.
Tracing the proceeds of the crime, investigators uncovered an extraordinary collection of high-end properties allegedly purchased with stolen state funds.
These include a five-bedroom luxury home purchased from Chain Homes Ltd for US$1.6 million; a three-bedroom house at Cantonments worth US$600,000, registered in the wife’s name; a three-plot mansion at Airport valued at over US$2.5 million;
Others are a 0.32-acre government plot acquired through Anthony Duke Essien, a controversial land broker, and developed into four units of four-bedroom apartments and a 17-bedroom boutique hotel in Tamale, disguised under a franchise deal with Villa Monticello; and multiple houses and plots across Accra and Tamale, including properties at Dzorwulu, Achimota, Kpalsi, and Estate Junction.
Additionally, EOCO has frozen a GH¢10 million fixed deposit belonging to Mr Abdul-Wahab at Republic Bank, Labone Branch, along with several luxury vehicles and more than 61 designer handbags.
“We have frozen all these assets and will be taking steps to have them confiscated to the State in the course of the criminal proceedings,” Dr Ayine said.
“This case is a classic example of how greed and corruption can deprive innocent citizens of food, education, and opportunity.”
The Attorney-General assured that the State would pursue the matter vigorously to ensure justice and recovery of stolen funds.
“This government will not allow public office to be used for private profit. The people of Ghana deserve better,” Dr Ayine stated.
“Those who treat public institutions as personal ATMs will be exposed and punished. The jungle has been rumbled, and this time, it will not survive.”
In a statement released on Wednesday, October 22, hours after the AG’s press conference, Mr Aludiba said he had no involvement in the matters referred to by the Attorney General and has instructed his lawyers to take steps to safeguard his reputation.
“I wish to state, respectfully, that these claims are untrue and do not reflect the facts of the matter. I have no involvement in the issues being referred to, and I find the comments deeply unfortunate,” the statement read.
He added that his legal team is reviewing the situation and will advise on appropriate actions, including the possibility of pursuing legal remedies.
Mr Aludiba also expressed confidence that he would clear his name through the legal process.
“I look forward to the opportunity to present my side and to have my day in court, where I am confident that the truth will be made clear,” he stated.
Abdul-Wahab was arrested in June and detained by EOCO for two weeks before being granted bail of GH¢60 million with two sureties. He was taken into custody on 25 June 2025, together with his wife, over allegations of large-scale financial misconduct during his time in office.
Mr Aludiba emphasised his dedication to ethical conduct, stating he is consistently guided by the principles of honesty, transparency, and integrity throughout his career.
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