A Federal High Court in Abuja has declared Adamu Aliyu, a serving member of the Plateau State House of Assembly, wanted over allegations that he defrauded a businessman of ₦73.6 million through a fraudulent Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) contract scheme, PREMIUM TIMES reports.
According to the newspaper, Justice Emeka Nwite issued the order on Friday following an application by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The commission said, Mr Aliyu repeatedly ignored invitations to respond to or refute the allegations against him.
Court filings show that the case began after businessman Mohammed Jidda petitioned the ICPC, alleging that Mr Aliyu promised to help him secure an ₦850 million TETFund contract at the University of Jos.
The lawmaker allegedly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jidda, under which the businessman agreed to pay ₦73.6 million in advance once a contract award letter was issued. The MoU also required Jidda to pay ₦52 million to Imanal Concept Ltd — owned by Saad Abubakar, whom Aliyu identified as the facilitator of the deal.
Jidda told investigators that Mr Aliyu later handed him a document purporting to be a contract award letter from the University of Jos for the construction of an indoor sports hall under a TETFund project valued at ₦500 million.
On the strength of the letter, Aliyu allegedly provided two bank accounts — his personal account with GTBank and Imanal Concept Ltd’s Zenith Bank account — into which Jidda paid a total of ₦73.6 million.
But when Jidda approached the University of Jos to begin documentation, he was informed that no such contract existed. The institution later confirmed in writing to the ICPC that the award letter was a forgery.
Investigators traced the payments, showing that ₦47.8 million went into Aliyu’s GTBank personal account, ₦22.4 million into Imanal Concept Ltd’s Zenith Bank account, and another ₦3.2 million directly to Aliyu.
The commission also told the court it had credible intelligence that Aliyu was planning to abandon his legislative duties and flee the country.
The ICPC therefore applied for judicial authorisation to declare him wanted. On Friday, Justice Nwite granted the request, issuing an arrest warrant and authorising the Commission to publish a “wanted person” notice in national newspapers and on social media.
The ruling also empowered law enforcement agencies, including the police and even private citizens, to arrest Aliyu and hand him over to the ICPC.
Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES on Friday evening, Aliyu denied the allegations, claiming he was unaware of the ICPC’s invitation and only learned of it through the Clerk of the Plateau Assembly while he was in Saudi Arabia.
He also denied defrauding Jidda, insisting he had refunded ₦45 million that entered his account through the businessman’s company, Mohiba Investment Ltd. He provided receipts showing payments of ₦5 million, ₦10 million, ₦10 million, and ₦20 million in separate transactions back to Mohiba’s Zenith Bank account.
Aliyu further denied forging the contract award letter, blaming Saad Abubakar for producing the document. “My role was limited to only delivering the letter to Mr Jidda,” he said.
