The immediate past Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar, on Thursday pleaded not guilty to four counts of alleged corruption filed against him by the Federal Government before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja.
Umar was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Peter Kekemeke on charges of allegedly conferring corrupt and unfair advantages on himself through payments made by contractors to his wife and children.
The charges, filed on June 19, 2026, were read to the defendant at the commencement of proceedings, after which he pleaded not guilty to all four counts.
Following the plea, prosecution counsel Christopher Mshelia urged the court to fix a date for trial and remand Umar at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing.
Defence counsel Sunday Edward, however, applied for bail, assuring the court that his client would not abscond and would be available throughout the trial.
The prosecution opposed the immediate hearing of the bail application, stating that it had only been served with the application at about 3 p.m. on Wednesday and required time to file a response.
Justice Kekemeke subsequently adjourned the matter until July 15 for the hearing of the bail application and ordered that Umar be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending its determination.
According to the charge sheet, the Federal Government alleged that Umar, while serving as Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal and Chairman of its Tenders Board, used his office to obtain benefits for himself through companies awarded contracts by the tribunal.
The prosecution alleged that on October 5, 2021, Umar caused Kurchmives International Limited, a subcontractor engaged in the painting of the tribunal’s headquarters, to pay ₦5.5 million to his wife, Zulaihatu Danladi Umar.
In a separate count, the government alleged that on January 25, 2024, he caused Portal Realities Limited, a sister company of JTF Global Links Limited, which handled the tribunal’s records digitalisation project, to pay ₦6 million to his wife.
The remaining counts alleged that on October 9, 2024, Umar directed Portal Realities Limited to pay ₦2,043,916.88 each to Baze University as tuition fees for his daughter, Faiza Danladi Umar, and his son, Yakuba Danladi Umar.
The prosecution argued that the alleged actions amounted to conferring corrupt and unfair advantages on himself, contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, and are punishable under the same law.
