The Federal High Court in Abuja has declared Plateau State House of Assembly member, Adamu Aliyu, wanted over allegations of defrauding a businessman of ₦73.6 million through a fake Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) contract.
Justice Emeka Nwite gave the order on Friday after the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) filed an application before the court. The case originated from a petition by businessman Mohammed Jidda, who accused Aliyu, representing Jos North-North constituency, of promising to help him secure an ₦850m TETFund contract at the University of Jos.
According to court records, Aliyu signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jidda, who agreed to pay ₦73.6m upfront once the contract award letter was issued. Another ₦52m was meant to be paid to Imanal Concept Ltd, a company owned by Saad Abubakar, who was reportedly introduced as the facilitator of the deal.
Investigators allege Aliyu later handed Jidda a forged contract award letter for the construction of an indoor sports hall under a TETFund project valued at ₦500m. Acting on the letter, Jidda made payments into two accounts provided by Aliyu — his personal GTBank account and that of Imanal Concept Ltd with Zenith Bank.
The ICPC said Jidda eventually paid a total of ₦73.6m, with ₦47.8m traced to Aliyu’s GTBank account, ₦22.4m to Imanal Concept, and another ₦3.2m directly to Aliyu. But when Jidda went to the University of Jos for documentation, the institution denied knowledge of the contract and later confirmed the award letter was fake.
The commission told the court that Aliyu ignored multiple invitations, even though he acknowledged receiving them via WhatsApp. Investigators also claimed they received intelligence that the lawmaker was planning to flee the country to avoid prosecution.
On that basis, Justice Nwite granted ICPC’s request to declare him wanted. Security agencies and even private citizens have been authorised to arrest him and hand him over to the ICPC to face a 32-count charge of fraud, forgery, and diversion of funds.
When contacted by Premium Times, Aliyu denied the allegations. He claimed he was unaware of ICPC’s invitation, insisting he only learned of it through the Plateau Assembly Clerk while in Saudi Arabia. He also said he refunded ₦45m to Jidda’s company, Mohiba Investment Ltd, and provided receipts of separate transfers amounting to that sum.
The lawmaker further denied issuing the forged contract letter, arguing that Saad Abubakar was the one who obtained it. According to him, his role was limited to delivering the document to Jidda. His lawyers have also argued that the matter is a civil dispute over consultancy services, not a criminal case.
Despite this, court filings confirm that Aliyu is under investigation for corruption, forgery, cheating, and abuse of office. The ICPC stressed that it sought the court’s approval because it lacks the constitutional powers to declare someone wanted on its own. With the order now in place, the commission is expected to publish a formal notice in national newspapers and may even seek INTERPOL’s help if Aliyu attempts to escape abroad.
