Adamu Aliyu, a serving member of the Plateau State House of Assembly, has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to vacate an order declaring him wanted over an alleged contract fraud.
Mr Aliyu, who represents Jos North-North Constituency, was declared wanted by the judge, Emeka Nwite, on 12 September, after the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) told the court that he had repeatedly ignored invitations to answer questions on the fraud allegations.
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The judge also issued a bench warrant directing security operatives, and even private citizens, to arrest the lawmaker and hand him over to the ICPC.
But in a motion filed on 18 September, Mr Aliyu, through his lawyer, M.B. Abdullahi, asked the court to set aside the order. He argued that the warrant was “oppressive, overreaching and unnecessary” as he had since reported himself to the commission.
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Grounds of application
The lawmaker said he became aware of the court’s order through social media reports, including a PREMIUM TIMES story, and immediately presented himself at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja.
Mr Aliyu also claimed that before the ICPC applied for the arrest warrant, he had written to the commission explaining the circumstances of the case. According to him, he received N43.8 million from the petitioner but had since refunded N45 million—an amount exceeding what was alleged.
He accused the ICPC of failing to disclose this to the court.
“The applicant has shown good faith by submitting himself to the respondent’s authority and poses no flight risk being a sitting member of the Plateau State House of Assembly,” his application reads.
He further argued that leaving the order in force exposed him to “actual physical harm” from individuals who might seek to enforce it.
PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported that Mr Aliyu surrendered himself to the ICPC on 15 September.
After interrogation, the ICPC detained the lawmaker and later him on administrative bail after their investigation.
Alleged fraudulent contract
The case originated from a petition by Mohammed Jidda, a businessman, who accused Mr Aliyu of duping him under the guise of helping him to secure a Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) contract at the University of Jos worth N850 million.
Investigators said Mr Aliyu allegedly entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Mr Jidda, under which the businessman paid N73.6 million to Mr Aliyu’s account and a company called Imanal Concept Ltd, as facilitation fees.
Mr Jidda was allegedly presented with a forged contract award letter from the University of Jos for the construction of an indoor sports hall valued at N500 million. Bank records showed that N47.8 million was paid into the lawmaker’s personal account, N22.4 million went to Imanal Concept Ltd, and an additional N3.2 million was transferred directly to him.
When Mr Jidda approached the university to formalise the contract, the school denied issuing such an award and later confirmed in writing to the ICPC that the document was forged.
The ICPC told the court that Mr Aliyu ignored multiple invitations, including those conveyed through the Clerk of the Plateau State Assembly and his WhatsApp line, and was planning to flee Nigeria before being declared wanted.
Lawmaker’s defence
In court filings, Mr Aliyu outlined what he described as the facts of the transaction. He said the arrangement began as a business deal between businessman Mr Jidda, a federal lawmaker identified as Lawal Abubakar, and himself.
As part of the arrangement, Mr Abubakar was to facilitate the award of a TETFund project under the 2023 Special Intervention Projects allocation for disaster recovery at the University of Jos. The contract was valued at N850 million.
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According to Mr Aliyu, both sides agreed on a facilitation or consultancy fee of 20 per cent of the contract sum after tax deductions. As part of this agreement, Mohibba Investment Ltd paid N43.87 million through him.
He stressed that the transaction was “never contemplated as fraud” but was a civil arrangement that collapsed only because the University of Jos awarded the project to another contractor.
He maintained that he subsequently refunded N45 million to the company in four instalments—an amount higher than what he had initially received.
The lawmaker further pointed out that the disappointment from the university prompted a separate civil lawsuit now pending before the Plateau State High Court, in which his associate, Mr Abubakar, is challenging the university and its management over the contract award.
He urged the Federal High Court to vacate the warrant it issued for his arrest in the interest of justice and fair hearing.
The Federal High Court has yet to set a date to hear Mr Aliyu’s application.
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