A Federal High Court in Abuja has declared Adamu Aliyu, a member of the Plateau State House of Assembly, wanted over allegations of a multi-million-naira fraud scheme.
Aliyu, who represents the Jos North-North constituency under the All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared wanted on Friday by Justice Emeka Nwite following an application by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The court directed the ICPC to publish notices in newspapers, online platforms, and across social media to alert the public.
It also empowered security agencies and even private citizens to arrest the lawmaker and hand him over to the anti-graft commission.
According to court filings, the case stemmed from a petition by businessman Mohammed Jidda, who accused Aliyu of duping him with a fake contract linked to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
Jidda alleged that the lawmaker promised to secure an N850 million contract at the University of Jos in exchange for upfront payments.
Investigators revealed that Aliyu allegedly presented a forged contract award letter worth N500 million for the construction of an indoor sports hall.
Relying on the document, Jidda reportedly transferred N73.6 million into two accounts linked to Aliyu and a company, Imanal Concept Ltd, said to be part of the deal.
But when Jidda approached the university for documentation, he discovered that no such project existed.
Speaking to reporters, a source familiar with the case described the court’s decision as “a significant move that shows the judiciary’s support in curbing corruption at all levels.”
The ICPC told the court that Aliyu repeatedly ignored its invitations, forcing the agency to seek legal backing to declare him wanted.
The commission also sought an arrest warrant that would enable law enforcement agencies, including INTERPOL, to act if Aliyu attempted to leave Nigeria. Justice Nwite granted the request in full.
Reacting to the ruling, Aliyu denied wrongdoing, insisting that the documents were obtained by another party, Saad Abubakar, and that his role was limited to passing them to Jidda.
He further claimed to have refunded N45 million in instalments to the businessman’s company.
In a letter to the ICPC, Aliyu’s lawyers argued that the matter was a civil dispute over consultancy and facilitation of contracts, not a criminal case. They maintained that the issue was already before a civil court.
Despite his defence, court documents confirmed that Aliyu is still under investigation for offences including forgery, cheating, abuse of office, and corruption.