A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a wanted declaration for Adamu Aliyu, a member of the Plateau State House of Assembly, over his alleged involvement in a fraudulent N73.6 million contract related to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund). Justice Emeka Nwite made the order following an application by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

According to court documents, a businessman named Mohammed Jidda had petitioned the ICPC, alleging that Aliyu promised to secure an N850 million TETFund contract at the University of Jos. Jidda claimed to have paid Aliyu N73.6 million upfront, including N52 million meant for Imanal Concept Ltd, a company owned by Saad Abubakar, who facilitated the alleged fake contract.

The court documents reveal that Aliyu handed Jidda a fake contract award letter for a N500 million indoor sports hall project and directed him to deposit the initial funds into his personal GTBank account and Imanal Concept’s Zenith Bank account. The ICPC’s investigation found that N47.8 million was paid into Aliyu’s account, N22.4 million into Imanal Concept’s account, and N3.2 million directly to Aliyu.

The University of Jos denied issuing the contract and later confirmed in writing that the award letter was forged. Despite repeated summons, Aliyu ignored the ICPC’s invitations to explain his role in the fraudulent contract award. The ICPC also alleged that Aliyu had plans to flee the country.

The court has authorized the ICPC to publish Aliyu’s name in national newspapers and on social media, and has empowered security agencies and private citizens to arrest him and hand him over to the Commission to face a 32-count charge bordering on fraud, forgery, and diversion of funds.

Aliyu has denied any complicity in the contract scam, insisting that he did not defraud Jidda. He claimed to have refunded N45 million from his account to Jidda’s Mohiba Investment Ltd and argued that the matter was a civil dispute over consultancy services rather than a criminal case. The ICPC’s actions and the court’s declaration underscore the ongoing efforts to combat corruption and fraud in Nigeria’s public and private sectors. The case is expected to proceed with Aliyu’s arrest and prosecution, pending his appearance before the court.