The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned the former Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Yakubu Umar, before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, over alleged abuse of office and fraudulent conferment of benefits amounting to N15.59 million.
Umar was arraigned on Thursday, July 9, 2026, before Justice U. P. Kekemeke on a four-count charge bordering on nepotism and allegedly conferring corrupt and unfair advantages on himself through payments made to his wife.
According to the EFCC, the former CCT chairman, who also served as Chairman of the Tribunal’s Tenders Board, allegedly benefited from payments totalling N15,587,833.76 made in connection with contracts awarded by the tribunal.
One of the charges alleged that on October 5, 2021, Umar caused the sum of N5.5 million to be paid to his wife, Zulaihatu Danladi Umar, through her Keystone Bank account by Kurchmives International Limited, a subcontractor engaged under a contract awarded by the Code of Conduct Tribunal to Momanaf Global Ventures Limited for the internal and external painting of the tribunal’s headquarters.
The anti-graft agency said the alleged act amounted to conferring a corrupt and unfair advantage on himself, contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
In another count, the EFCC alleged that on January 25, 2024, Umar caused N6 million to be paid into his wife’s Zenith Bank account by Portal Realities Limited, described as a sister company of JTF Global Links Limited, which had been awarded a contract for the digitalisation of the Code of Conduct Tribunal’s management records.
The Commission maintained that the payment also constituted an unlawful conferment of corrupt advantage in violation of the same law.
When the charges were read, the former tribunal chairman pleaded not guilty to all four counts.
Following his plea, prosecution counsel, Christopher Mshelia, urged the court to fix a date for trial and requested that the defendant be remanded in the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the commencement of proceedings.
Defence counsel, S. Edward, however, applied for his client’s bail.
Justice Kekemeke adjourned the case until July 15, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and ordered that Umar be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the determination of his bail request.
