A Federal High Court in Abuja has declared a member of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Adamu Aliyu, wanted over allegations that he defrauded a businessman of ₦73.6 million through a fake Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) contract.

Justice Emeka Nwite issued the order on Friday after considering an application brought before the court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

According to court filings, the case began with a petition from businessman Mohammed Jidda, who alleged that Aliyu, representing Jos North-North constituency, promised to help him secure an ₦850m TETFund contract at the University of Jos.

Aliyu allegedly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jidda, under which the petitioner agreed to pay ₦73.6m upfront once a contract award letter was issued. Another ₦52 million was to be paid to Imanal Concept Ltd, a company owned by Saad Abubakar, who was reportedly the facilitator of the deal.

Investigators said Aliyu later handed Jidda a purported contract award letter for the construction of an indoor sports hall under a TETFund project valued at ₦500m.

On the strength of the letter, Aliyu reportedly provided two bank accounts, his personal Guaranty Trust Bank account and Imanal Concept Ltd’s Zenith Bank account, for payment.

ICPC said Jidda deposited a total of ₦73.6m into the accounts. Bank records allegedly confirmed that ₦47.8m went into Aliyu’s GTBank account, ₦22.4m into Imanal Concept’s account, and another ₦3.2m directly to Aliyu.

However, when Jidda approached the University of Jos to begin the documentation process, the institution denied knowledge of the contract. It later confirmed in writing to ICPC that the award letter was a forgery.

Lawmaker Shuns ICPC Invitations

The ICPC told the court that Aliyu repeatedly ignored invitations to explain his role in the alleged fraud, despite being contacted through the Clerk of the Plateau State Assembly and his WhatsApp number, where he acknowledged receipt of the messages.

Investigators also claimed they had credible intelligence suggesting the lawmaker was planning to abandon his legislative duties and flee the country to evade prosecution.

Justice Nwite subsequently granted ICPC’s request and declared Aliyu wanted. The judge directed security agencies to arrest him and produce him in court to face a 32-count charge bordering on fraud, forgery, and diversion of funds.

Faced with his alleged refusal to honour lawful invitations, the ICPC approached the court for an order to permit it to “declare the lawmaker wanted in any national newspaper, social media platforms and other media, for failing to honour the Commission’s invitations for investigation activities.”

The commission also urged the court to issue a bench/arrest warrant, directing operatives of the ICPC and other law enforcement agents, including private persons, to identify and arrest Mr Aliyu and hand him over to the ICPC for investigation.

On Friday, Justice Nwite granted the ICPC request, issuing an arrest warrant and authorising the commission to publish a “wanted person” notice for Mr Aliyu in national newspapers and on social media.

The court ruling also empowered law enforcement agents, including the police and private citizens, to arrest him and hand him over to the commission.

When Premium Times contacted Aliyu on Friday evening, he denied the allegations. He said he was not aware of the ICPC’s invitation, saying he only learned of it through the Clerk of the Plateau Assembly while he was in Saudi Arabia.

He also denied defrauding Mr Jidda, insisting he has since refunded ₦45 million that entered his account through the businessman’s company, Mohiba Investment Limited. Payment receipts obtained by this newspaper show that he transferred ₦5 million, ₦10 million, ₦10 million, and ₦20 million in separate transactions to a Zenith Bank account belonging to Mohiba Investment Ltd.

The lawmaker also denied issuing the forged contract award letter, claiming Mr Abubakar obtained it. Mr Aliyu said his role was limited to delivering the letter to Mr Jidda.

On 8 September, Mr Aliyu’s lawyers, Adams & Co Firstlog Chambers, wrote to the ICPC arguing that the matter was already before a civil court, describing it as a dispute over “consultancy services/facilitation of contract award” rather than a criminal matter.

Despite the defence, court filings show that the lawmaker is under investigation for corruption, forgery, cheating, abuse of office and related offences.

The ICPC argued that because it lacks constitutional powers to declare a person wanted without court approval, it had to seek judicial authorisation.

The commission also noted that the warrant would allow it to enlist the assistance of the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) should the lawmaker attempt to escape abroad.

With the order in place, the ICPC is expected to issue a formal public notice declaring the lawmaker wanted in the coming days.

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Gunmen suspected to be cultists on Thursday night attacked a burial ceremony in Ezi Village, Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, killing four persons and injuring about 15 others.

Eyewitnesses said the assailants, believed to be from a rival cult group, stormed the venue on motorcycles while family members were performing the burial rites.

They opened fire on mourners, sending others scampering for safety before fleeing the scene.

“The assailants suddenly invaded the scene of the burial on Thursday and opened fire at the gathering, targeting some people who were present.

“The family members of the deceased and other mourners were performing the burial rites in the compound, when they arrived at the scene and shot at the mourners, while others scampered to safety.

“They came in some motorcycles and after carrying out their deadly mission, immediately left the scene,” an indigene who was near the scene, who did not want his name in print, told PUNCH Online.

Confirming the incident in a statement on Friday, the spokesman for the state police command, Tochukwu Ikenga, said operatives from Ogidi Division, led by the Divisional Police Officer, quickly responded, restored normalcy, and evacuated the victims to hospitals.

Ikenga said the Command has commenced a discreet investigation to identify, trace, and arrest the perpetrators, adding that preliminary findings suggested that the incident is connected to a clash between rival cult groups.

He said, “Following a distress call in the late hours of September 11, 2025, that armed men suspected to be cultists invaded a burial ceremony at Ezi Village, Ogidi, Idemili North LGA, and opened fire on the attendees, resulting in the death of four persons while 15 others sustained serious injuries.

“Police operatives from Ogidi Division, led by the Divisional Police Officer, swiftly mobilised to the scene, restored normalcy, and immediately evacuated the victims to hospitals for medical attention. In the course of the operation, 16 expended cartridges were recovered as exhibits.

“The Command has since launched a discreet investigation to identify, trace, and arrest the perpetrators, as preliminary findings suggest that the incident is connected to a clash between rival cult groups.”

According to him, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ikioye Orutugu, has strongly condemned the incident and assured residents of the command’s resolve to rid the state of cult-related violence and other criminal activities.

“The Command urges members of the public to remain calm, security-conscious, and to continue to provide useful information by reporting suspicious movements or persons to the nearest Police formation.

“Further developments will be communicated in due course,” the statement added.

This latest incident comes months after PUNCH Online reported that seven people, including five police officers, were killed in January when gunmen invaded a compound in Ihiala LGA during preparations for another burial.

It was gathered that the family members in the compound were making preparations for a burial ceremony scheduled to be held on January 2, 2025, when suddenly, the hoodlums invaded the place and started shooting sporadically, leading to the death of the victims.

The assailants were said to have opened fire at the gathering, targeting security operatives stationed near the local government headquarters as they fled the scene.

The Anambra State governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, who visited the scene to condole with the families of the victims, announced a N10m bounty each for information leading to the capture of each of the gunmen responsible for the killing.

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The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has indicted an Air Peace pilot and a Co-pilot for taking hard drugs and alcohol.

The accident investigators tested the crew positive for the substances after the aircraft they flew was involved in a runway excursion at the Port Harcourt International Airport on July 13, 2025.

This was contained in a preliminary report signed by the Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance at Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, Mrs Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, made available to The PUNCH on Friday.

It will be recalled that an Air Peace aircraft, on a Sunday morning of 13th July, had a runway excursion after landing at the Port Harcourt International Airport.

The aircraft veered off the runway without any damage.

A runway excursion is when an aircraft veers off the side of or overruns the end of the runway during takeoff or landing.

Excursions are most often caused by miscommunication, mistakes, faulty gear, and potholes on runways, among others. But with the discovery, pilots’ intoxication has been added to the list of causes.

According to the NSIB report, the pilots who were flying an Air Peace Boeing 737 aircraft were involved in a serious incident while carrying 103 passengers.

The NSIB said, “The aircraft, operating as a scheduled domestic flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt with 103 persons on board, landed long on Runway 21 after an unstabilised final approach. The aircraft touched down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold and came to a final stop 209 metres into the clearway.

“All passengers and crew disembarked safely, and no injuries were reported.”

According to the report, the domestic flight, which took off from Lagos, experienced an unstabilised final approach before landing long on Runway 21.

The NSIB revealed that the aircraft touched down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold, well beyond the recommended touchdown zone, and eventually came to a stop at 209 metres into the clearway.

While all on board disembarked safely, the incident raised immediate safety concerns.

The preliminary reports say toxicological test results conducted on the flight crew turned out positive. The Tests indicated the presence of alcohol in the system of the crew, while another crew member also tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active compound found in cannabis, colloquially referred to as “India hemp.”

The bureau noted that these toxicology results are being assessed within the scope of human performance and safety management, both critical factors in aviation incident investigations.

Following the development, the NSIB said it had issued immediate safety recommendations to the airline.

The statement further reads, “Initial toxicological tests conducted on the flight crew revealed positive results for certain substances, including indicators of alcohol consumption. A cabin crew member also tested positive for THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis. These results are being reviewed under the human performance and safety management components of the investigation.

“The NSIB has issued immediate safety recommendations for Air Peace Limited to strengthen crew resource management training, particularly in handling unstabilised approaches and go-around decisions, and to reinforce internal procedures for crew fitness-for-duty monitoring before flight dispatch.

“Toxicological test was conducted on the flight crew at Rivers state hospital management, department of medical laboratory, Port Harcourt, on 13th July 2025, and they tested positive for some substances. Toxicological screening conducted post-incident revealed that Captain and first officer tested positive for Ethyl Glucuronide, indicating recent alcohol consumption.”

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