The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: Icpc

  • Court Of Appeal Dismisses El-Rufai’s Bail Appeal

    Court Of Appeal Dismisses El-Rufai’s Bail Appeal

    Precious Nwonu, Enugu

    The Court of Appeal in Kaduna has dismissed an appeal by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai challenging the refusal of his second bail application by the state’s High Court.

    The appellate court, in a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday, held that El-Rufai failed to present fresh facts or special circumstances that would justify overturning the lower court’s decision.

    The judgment, obtained by a correspondent on Friday, was delivered by a three-member panel led by Justice Onyekachi Aja Otisi, who affirmed the High Court’s June 10, 2026, ruling denying the former governor bail.

    “There is no merit in this appeal; it fails and is hereby dismissed. The ruling of the lower court delivered on 10/6/2026 is hereby affirmed,” Otisi held.

    El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023, is being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over alleged financial offences linked to his administration. He has denied wrongdoing.

    In reaching its decision, the appellate court considered the prosecution’s concerns that some of the former governor’s public statements could potentially interfere with the administration of justice.

    The prosecution had cited an interview El-Rufai granted Arise Television on April 26, 2026, during which he allegedly admitted to wiretapping the telephone line of the National Security Adviser. It also referred to remarks attributed to him about defending his political legacy against attempts to criminalise him.

    According to the judgment, El-Rufai acknowledged participating in the interview and noted that he was facing a separate case relating to the subject matter.

    However, the appellate court emphasised that its consideration of the evidence presented in the bail proceedings did not amount to a determination of his guilt.

    Otisi reiterated that the former governor remained presumed innocent until proven guilty, as guaranteed by the Constitution.

    The panel also rejected El-Rufai’s argument that his return to custody after attending his late mother’s burial demonstrated that he was not a flight risk.

    The former governor had argued that his release to attend the burial and subsequent return to custody constituted compelling grounds for bail.

    The prosecution, however, maintained that security operatives accompanied and monitored him throughout the period.

    The court noted that El-Rufai’s affidavit referred to photographs allegedly showing him attending funeral prayers at the National Mosque in Abuja, but the photographs were not attached to the application before the trial court.

    Otisi said the trial judge could not speculate on the contents of documents that had not been presented as evidence.

    “Courts are not allowed to act on speculations or conjecture to reach a decision, more so in our criminal jurisprudence,” he said.

    The appellate court consequently upheld the lower court’s finding that El-Rufai had not sufficiently demonstrated that his return to custody was entirely voluntary or that the circumstances warranted a different bail decision.

    It also affirmed the order directing an accelerated hearing of the criminal case, with proceedings to be conducted on a day-to-day basis as far as practicable while the former governor remained in ICPC custody.

    The panel observed that there was no evidence before it showing that the prosecution had failed to pursue the case diligently. It added that El-Rufai could approach the trial court for another consideration of his bail application if the prosecution failed to prosecute the case diligently.

    In a concurring judgment, Justice Abimbola Obaseki-Adejumo agreed that the former governor had not presented fresh and compelling evidence to justify a different outcome.

    “Nothing had changed; therefore, I am unable to agree that a miscarriage of justice had occurred,” she held.

    Justice Lateef Ganiyu also concurred with the lead judgment, noting that the failure to attach documents relied upon in the bail application weakened El-Rufai’s case.

    The ICPC took the former governor into custody in March 2026 following investigations into alleged financial infractions and procurement irregularities during his administration from 2015 to 2023.

  • Appeal Court Reserves Judgment On El-Rufai’s Bail Appeal

    Appeal Court Reserves Judgment On El-Rufai’s Bail Appeal

    Precious Nwonu, Enugu

    The Court of Appeal in Kaduna has reserved judgment in an appeal filed by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, challenging the refusal of his bail application by the state High Court.

    A three-member panel led by Justice Onyekachi Otisi reserved judgment on Tuesday after hearing arguments from lawyers representing El-Rufai and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.

    The appellate court did not announce a date for the delivery of its judgment.

    Counsel to the ICPC, Ayodeji Adedipe, urged the court to dismiss the appeal, arguing that the Kaduna State High Court was justified in refusing to grant El-Rufai bail.

    Adedipe told the court that El-Rufai had made three separate bail applications before the trial court, all of which were rejected.

    He argued that while the former governor was appealing the ruling on his second application, he failed to disclose that a subsequent third bail application had also been dismissed.

    The ICPC counsel therefore described the appeal as lacking merit and urged the appellate court to uphold the lower court’s decision.

    However, El-Rufai’s lawyer, Paul Erokoro, SAN, asked the Court of Appeal to overturn the ruling and release his client on bail pending the determination of the charges against him.

    Erokoro argued that the offences against the former governor were bailable and did not attract the death penalty, stressing that continued detention was therefore unjustified.

    The Senior Advocate also contended that El-Rufai’s continued detention was affecting his ability to prepare his defence by limiting his access to his lawyers and potential witnesses.

    According to him, such restrictions could interfere with confidential communication between the former governor and his legal team and ultimately affect his right to a fair trial.

    Erokoro further urged the court to consider the political circumstances surrounding the case, noting that the charges were filed against El-Rufai, a prominent opposition figure, as the 2027 general elections approach.

    El-Rufai, who served as Kaduna State governor between 2015 and 2023, is facing prosecution by the ICPC over alleged financial offences linked to his administration.

    The former governor has denied wrongdoing and challenged the circumstances surrounding his detention.

    The ICPC is prosecuting El-Rufai alongside some former officials of the Kaduna State Government over alleged financial infractions.

    Following the arguments from both sides, the appellate panel reserved its judgment without fixing a date for its delivery.

  • SERAP Gives INEC Seven Days to Explain Alleged ₦126bn Electoral Spending

    SERAP Gives INEC Seven Days to Explain Alleged ₦126bn Electoral Spending

    Precious Nwonu, Enugu

    The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has given the Independent National Electoral Commission seven days to account for more than ₦126.46bn in electoral funds flagged over alleged procurement irregularities.

    SERAP made the demand in a statement issued by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, following concerns raised in the 2023 audited report of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

    The audit report, published on August 7, 2026, examined government transactions between January and December 2022, with some findings extending to December 31, 2023.

    According to SERAP, the funds in question were linked to the procurement of ballot boxes, electoral devices and other materials, sensitive electoral materials, result sheets, vehicles and other services related to election administration.

    The organisation said some of the payments were allegedly made without following required procurement procedures, while the delivery or utilisation of some of the goods and services could not be established.

    SERAP urged INEC to provide details of the amounts paid, beneficiaries, contracts and procurement processes, as well as the contractors and suppliers involved.

    It also asked the commission to provide evidence of the delivery and utilisation of the goods and services and account for the current status of the electoral assets involved.

    The organisation further called on INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, to refer the alleged financial irregularities to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission for investigation.

    SERAP said the agencies should prosecute anyone found culpable and recover public funds where wrongdoing is established.

    One of the major issues highlighted by the organisation involved more than ₦112.15bn allegedly paid for ballot boxes, electoral devices, items and materials without competitive bidding or a Certificate of No Objection from the Bureau of Public Procurement.

    SERAP said the Auditor-General reported that there was no evidence that the items were procured.

    The organisation also said the audit raised questions about the companies involved, including concerns over their competence, experience, capacity, addresses and factory locations.

    SERAP maintained that INEC must account for the funds and demonstrate that they were spent for their intended purposes.

  • ICPC re-arrests former JAMB Registrar, Ojerinde

    ICPC re-arrests former JAMB Registrar, Ojerinde

    The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has re-arrested a former Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Prof. Adedibu Ojerinde.

    He was arrested on Thursday in Abuja, the anti-corruption agency spokesperson Azuka Ogugua said.

    “Prof. Ojerinde’s re-arrest followed a warrant issued by the Federal High Court, Abuja,” she said in a Thursday statement.

    “He is expected to face a team of investigators over new evidence uncovered in relation to his ongoing trial for diversion of funds while he was a public officer.”

    According to her, ICPC operatives uncovered two accounts opened in the names of Trillium Learning Centre Ltd and Sapati International Schools Ltd into which funds were diverted using fictitious names of students.

    “The Commission had on the 12th December 2022, invited the former JAMB Registrar for questioning over the new evidence but he wrote through his solicitor requesting 14 days’ grace to enable him honour the invitation. Ojerinde, however, refused to honour the invitation as undertaken by his counsel after the expiration of the 14 days grace on 27th December 2022,” the statement explained.

    “In the course of its ongoing investigation, the Commission unearthed new evidence that suggests that Ojerinde is the sole signatory to various bank accounts operated in the name of Trillium Learning Centre Ltd and Sapati International School Ltd. Ojerinde reportedly operated those accounts using false identities and forged documents in the names of Joshua Olakulehin Olaniran and Akanbi Lamidi respectively.

    “He also reportedly used another false identity, Adeniyi Banji to operate a separate account in the name of Standout Institutes Ltd. The ICPC has recovered the chequebooks of the companies’ accounts from Ojerinde, who has been taken into custody at the headquarters of the Commission.

    “The Commission may likely prosecute the former registrar before a court of competent jurisdiction for offences bothering on forgery of documents, stolen identity, money laundering and concealment of gratification if the new evidence is confirmed.

    “Ojerinde is currently being prosecuted by the Commission at the Federal High Court Abuja and Federal High Court Minna on an 18-count charge bordering on abuse of office and fraud to the tune of about N10 billion while serving as heads of two government agencies, the National Examination Council (NECO) and JAMB.”

    The ICPC spokesperson said Ojerinde “allegedly conferred corrupt advantages upon himself at different times while being Head of JAMB and NECO, thereby violating Sections 19, 24, 25 (1) (a) and (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and Section 1 (1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, 2006”.

    (Channels TV)

  • 2021 Budget: ICPC discovers 257 fake projects worth N20 billion

    2021 Budget: ICPC discovers 257 fake projects worth N20 billion

     

    The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) said, yesterday, the review of the 2021 budget has led to discovery of 257 duplicated projects worth N20.138 billion.

     

    Chairman of ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, made the disclosure at the third national summit on Diminishing Corruption in Public Sector, with the theme: Corruption and Coat of Government New Imperatives for Fiscal Transparency, organised by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

     

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    He said the commission also uncovered a syndicate of corrupt individuals within the service which corruptly employed unsuspecting Nigerians, issued them fake letters of employment, fraudulently enrolled them on IPPIS and post them to equally unsuspecting MDAs to commence work. He said ICPC was already prosecuting one of the leaders of the syndicate from whose custody led to the retrieval of several fake letters of recommendation purportedly signed by Chief of Staff to the President, ministers, federal civil service commission and other high ranking Nigerians.

     

    Owasanoye added that ICPC’s projects tracking covered 1,083 projects across entire country with exception of Borno and Zamfara due to security challenges.

     

    He said the exercise verified implementation of executive and zip projects of legislators. He added that so far, action has been initiated against 67 contractors and forced them back to site and ensured completion of 966 projects worth N310 billion some of which were hitherto abandoned.

     

    The ICPC boss added that there was a mini civil wars going on between the Board and management and sometimes within the board. He added that the squabbles were as a result of abuse of power prohibited by ICPC Act and unreasonable demands by some Board members for privileges contrary to extant circulars and laws and government’s resolve to minimise cost of governance.

    He identified illegal recruitment, illegal and unilateral increase in wages and remuneration by some MDAs as some of the factors responsible for high cost of governance and rising personnel budget. Other factors, he said, were indiscriminate local and international travels, unreasonable demands by some political appointee board members of MDAs and budget padding.

     

    According to him, ICPC is investigating some cases of illegal recruitment forwarded to it by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

     

    He said the Ministry of Labour and the University College Hospital, Ibadan, and some employees of other MDAs had been implicated in illegal recruitments.

     

    “This abuse of power is consummated with complicity of compromised elements in IPPIS. These cases are currently under investigation. At another level, a syndicate of corrupt individuals within the service corruptly employ unsuspecting Nigerians and issue them fake letters of employment.

     

    However, President Muhammadu Buhari has threatened that his administration would not hesitate to punish heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that fraudulently present new projects as ongoing projects  in the budget.

     

    This is even as he warned that his administration would sanction those who bring in personnel into the public workforce by illegal recruitment, pad their payroll and retain ghost workers.

     

    “We reduced the cost of governance by maintaining our promise to complete abandoned or ongoing projects commenced by previous administrations and have ensured that MDAs do not put forward new capital projects at the expense of ongoing projects.

     

    ‘‘Government has, however, noted from the activities of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) that some MDAs have devised the fraudulent practice of presenting new projects as ongoing projects.

     

    “Necessary action and sanctions will continue against the heads of such errant MDAs. I am confident that ICPC will continue to maintain the vigilance required of her by the ICPC Act in this regard,” he said.

     

    But reacting to the ICPC’s allegation, Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, said he was the one that initiated an investigation when he discovered the employment scam in his ministry.

     

    A statement by the Deputy Director Press and Public Relations in the Ministry, Charles Akpan, said the case was an old but ongoing investigation which the ICPC ought to have completed since Senator Ngige reported the matter, upon re-appointment as  Minister in August  2021.

     

    “Yes, there was an illegal recruitment perpetrated between May 29, 2019 and August 2019 when the president dissolved his first term cabinet and Senator Ngige temporarily out of office.  However, upon re-appointment and resumption of duties in August 2021, Sen. Ngige  discovered the illegality and promptly raised it at the Federal Executive Council, necessitating  a preliminary investigation by the office of the Head of Service of the Federation.

     

    “The minister subsequently empaneled an internal investigative committee in the ministry to unearth how 752 senior  and 532 junior staff members  were recruited in the ministry without ministerial and Head of Civil Service of the Federation approval, as stipulated in the extant circular on recruitment  .

     

    “Unfortunately, the activities of the Committee  were stalled by the then Permanent Secretary who claimed that the ICPC had stepped into the matter .

     

    “The onus, therefore, lies squarely on the ICPC to break the syndicate which the Minister appropriately reported first at the Federal Executive Council and subsequently  taken over by the ICPC two and half years ago.

     

    “This is the right step instead of rehashing  an old development and singling out for bad publicity, a ministry whose Minister decided to  blow the whistle on fraud  as the Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Salaries saddled with the responsibility of bringing down undue personnel cost , especially via illegal recruitment .

     

    “The ministry wishes to further note that every recruitment, especially  of senior civil servants,  passes through the Federal Civil Service Commission, in fact, solely authorized by it. The ICPC should therefore  expand its investigation into the Federal Civil Service Commission to break the syndicate, a commendable step in this direction, no doubt.

     

    •60% of overhead expenditure on travels, stationery, reveals SGF

     

    Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, in his opening remarks said in three years, 60 per cent of its overhead expenditure were on travels, maintenance, welfare and stationery in three years.

     

    He said it was no longer acceptable for the country’s resources to be expended on frivolities, fake projects and meaningless capital projects.

     

    He added that the Federal Government is working towards reducing the cost of governance and utilising its resources efficiently.

     

    He added that the Buhari’s administration has so far demonstrated and still continues to demonstrate its determination to fight corruption and improve governance no matter what it takes and howsoever corruption fights back with the stolen resources at its disposal.

     

    He urge Nigerians to support the anti-corruption agencies in its fight against graft, because it is a collective responsibility.

     

    •746 corruption cases dispensed with –CJN

     

    In his good will message, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammad, said the judiciary has been in the forefront in the fight against graft.

     

    He said despite the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in virtually the whole of 2020 and a better part of 2021, 746 corruption cases were dispensed with.

     

    “Similarly, the number of forfeited non-cash recoveries made, include 51 Automobiles, 16 Real Estates, 11 Barge/Tug Boats and 2 Schools. Between 2nd January and 14th November, 2021, a total number of 1,144 suspects were convicted of various corruption and financial related crimes, while the number of non-cash forfeited assets has also risen to include: eight Aircrafts, seven Filling Stations, 48 Real Estates and 149 Vehicles, amongst others. Similarly, various cash forfeiture were made in hundreds of millions of Naira. We shall not rest on our oars until every trace of corruption and undue exercise of influence to negatively secure unmerited advantage over others is stamped out of our clime.

    “It is my fervent belief that if all of us work in harmony with one voice and renewed determination, corruption and allied vices will certainly be on their way out of our beloved country and our voice shall, once again, be loudly heard and respected among the comity of nations.”

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: wwwsunnewsonline.com

  • ICPC secures N350m from High Court Staff

    The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), says it has secured the final forfeiture of N350,367,772 fraudulently acquired by some staff of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

    In a Statement signed by ICPC Spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogogua, ICPC said the money was fraudulently kept in an interest yielding bank account by three respondents including the Chief Registrar and the Deputy Registrar of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.

    According to ICPC, in the course of investigating a petition written against some officials of the court, the Commission’s special investigation team uncovered the money, “being the sum of confiscated, value and sold vessel hidden in a bank account.”

    The statement reads in part: “To allow any interested persons show cause why the money should not be forfeited finally to the federal government, ICPC immediately filed an ex-parte motion for an Interim Order of Forfeiture in November 2020.

    “While ruling on the Interim Order of Forfeiture, Justice Mohammed Sani of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt granted the Commission’s prayers for interim forfeiture of the sum pending the final hearing of the case.

    “In his ruling on the Motion on Notice for the final forfeiture of the money, Justice Sani, held that he was satisfied that ICPC had placed sufficient evidence before the Court to justify a final forfeiture of the contentious money.

    “He ,therefore ,ordered Union Bank, Station Road Branch, Port-Harcourt ,to immediately pay the money into the Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account as the money in question rightly belonged to the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

     

    Meanwhile, the ICPC has also arraigned a former Executive Director of National Horticultural Research Institute, Ibadan, Dr. Ademola Adeseye Idowu and three others for conferring undue advantage upon themselves.”

     

    The Executive Director, Mr. Isaiah Kayode Ajisafe, along with three others were alleged in an 8-count charge to have received the sum of N1,800,000 as benefit for appointing Sterling Designs & Associates Limited as Consultant to the Institute contrary to and punishable under Sections 9, 19 and 22 (5) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

     

    Mr. Ajisafe, who is a former head of accounts department of the Institute was also accused of allegedly receiving N1,200,000 to appoint Sterling Designs & Associates Limited as a Consultant to the Institute. The third defendant, Mr. David Ikyobo, a Director at Sterling Designs & Associated Ltd. was also accused of allegedly bribing the other defendants to the tune of N3million.

     

    The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges and the counsel to the first and second defendants, O. A. Owolabi, and Samuel Adeniji for the third defendant, prayed the court to grant them bail on liberal terms.

     

    In his ruling, the presiding Judge, Justice Muktar Abimbola of the Oyo State High Court granted the accused persons bail in the sum of Ten Million Naira (N10 million) each and one surety in like sum sworn to an affidavit of means, and ensure that the bail conditions are fulfilled within 10 days. The case was adjourned to 22nd March 2021  for further hearing.

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • ICPC: How civil servants manipulate government budgets

     

     

    The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered how civil servants manipulate the budgets for government agencies to fleece the system.

     

    ICPC Chairman, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye (SAN), spoke on Wednesday in Abuja about how the commission uncovered multiple layers of corrupt practices perpetuated by civil servants across Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

     

    The occasion was the Budget Office/ICPC interactive forum with Directors of Finance and Accounts and Directors of Internal Audit.

     

     

    Owasanoye said the commission stumbled on the infractions while carrying out a System Study Review of Budget Implementation.

     

    He said: “There was budget manipulation by most MDAs, which resulted in MDAs receiving both appropriation and releases beyond their actual needs. These surpluses were open to the risk of being misappropriated, as is tradition.

     

    “In 2019, ICPC reviewed 208 agencies of government that are funded from the Federal Treasury and came up with outstanding results, which included discovery of N31.8 billion personnel cost surpluses for 2017 and 2018, and misapplication of N19.8 billion and N9.2 billion from Personnel Cost and Capital Fund respectively.”

     

    As a result of these discoveries, the ICPC chairman announced that “N42 billion unspent surplus allocations for Personnel Cost for 2019 alone was blocked from possible abuse and pilfering, mostly from health and some educational institutions”.

     

    He regretted that “despite confronting erring ministries and MDAs with Federal circulars prohibiting these activities, the infractions continue; thus, stronger measures on the part of government and anti-corruption agencies are inevitable”.

     

    On the alleged manipulations of the 2020 budget implementation, Owasanoye said: “A number of investigations are ongoing on this as we have instituted a mechanism for continuous review of current and subsequent Annual Audit Reports.”

     

    The chairman stressed that while investigating infraction on Personnel Cost allocation, the commission “found that quite a substantial part of the Personnel Cost Budget was expended on matters not related to Personnel Cost”.

     

     

    He added: “These expenditure types included Duty Tour Allowance (DTA) and estacode, electricity, water and sewage bills, procurement of diesel and stationery, payment of transport allowance and flight fares, payment of wages for outsourced services and ad hoc (locum, visiting and, at times, illegal employees), as well as illegal allowances.”

     

    Owasanoye said the investigation on Capital Development Fund “established huge expenditure on both personnel and overhead-related items, thus frustrating government’s capacity for  infrastructural development”.

     

     

     

    Source: www.thenationonlineng.net