Alleged Corruption: Court remands ex-CCT chairman, Danladi Umar, in Kuje Prison
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Maitama has ordered the remand of the former Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar, at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
Justice Peter Kekemeke gave the remand order following Umar’s arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a four-count charge bordering on corruption and abuse of office.
The former CCT boss is being accused of conferring undue advantages on himself during his tenure as the head of the tribunal.
The allegations against Umar
According to the charges preferred against him by the Federal Government, Umar allegedly used his position to divert public funds for personal use through various contractors. The breakdown of the allegations includes N5.5 million paint job kickback in 2021. The prosecution alleged that Umar used his wife’s bank account to receive N5.5 million from a contractor hired to paint the CCT headquarters in Abuja.
There’s also the N6 million records digitisation kickback in 2024. It was further alleged that on January 25, 2024, the defendant again utilized his wife’s bank account to collect N6 million from a contractor handling the digitisation of the tribunal’s records.
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The defendant was also accused of directly instructing another contractor to pay the sum of N2.43 million to cover his daughter’s tuition fees at Baze University, Abuja.
The EFCC stated that these actions constitute offences punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
Umar, however, pleaded not guilty to all four counts brought against him.
Following the plea, the prosecuting counsel, Christopher Mshelia, requested a date to commence trial and prayed the court to remand the defendant in a correctional facility.
Although the defense counsel urged the court to hear a pending bail application filed on behalf of the ex-CCT Chairman, the prosecution opposed the immediate hearing, arguing that they had just been served with the application and required time to formally respond.
Justice Kekemeke subsequently adjourned the matter until July 15 for the hearing of the bail application, ordering that Umar be kept in Kuje Prison in the interim.
Danladi Umar’s arraignment marks a dramatic turn of events for the jurist. During his controversial tenure as CCT Chairman, he presided over several high-profile political trials, most notably the assets declaration cases involving former Senate President Bukola Saraki and the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen.
