A former Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Yakubu Umar, was on Thursday remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja after pleading not guilty to a four-count charge of alleged abuse of office and conferment of corrupt advantage involving ₦15.59 million.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Umar before Justice U.P. Kekemeke of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, accusing him of using his position as Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal and Chairman of its Tenders Board to confer corrupt advantages on himself through payments linked to contracts awarded by the tribunal.
According to the anti-graft agency, the four-count charge centres on alleged payments totalling ₦15,587,833.76 made through companies that handled contracts for the tribunal.
The EFCC alleged that in one instance, a subcontractor engaged for the painting of the tribunal’s headquarters transferred ₦5.5 million to a bank account belonging to Umar’s wife. In another, a company linked to a contractor awarded the contract for the digitalisation of the tribunal’s records allegedly paid ₦6 million into another of her bank accounts. The commission said the transactions amounted to corrupt and unfair advantages contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
Umar pleaded not guilty to all four charges when they were read to him.
Following his plea, prosecution counsel Christopher Mshelia asked the court to fix a date for trial and remand the defendant pending further proceedings. Defence counsel S. Edward, however, applied for bail on behalf of the former tribunal chairman.
Justice Kekemeke adjourned the matter until July 15, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and ordered that Umar be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the court’s ruling.
