Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of alleged corruption filed against him by the Federal Government and has been remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his bail application.
Umar was arraigned before Justice Peter Kekemeke of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja on Thursday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations that he used his office to obtain corrupt benefits through payments allegedly made by contractors to his wife and children.
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The charges, filed on June 19, 2026, were read to the former tribunal chairman, who denied all four counts.
Following his plea, prosecuting counsel Christopher Mshelia asked the court to fix a date for trial and remand Umar in custody pending the commencement of proceedings.
Defence counsel Sunday Edward applied for bail, assuring the court that his client would be available throughout the trial.
However, the prosecution opposed the immediate hearing of the application, arguing that it had only received the bail request at about 3 p.m. on Wednesday and required time to file a response.
Justice Kekemeke subsequently adjourned the matter until July 15, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and ordered that Umar remain in custody at the Kuje Correctional Centre until then.
According to the charge sheet, the Federal Government alleged that while serving as Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal and Chairman of its Tenders Board, Umar abused his position by obtaining financial benefits through companies awarded contracts by the tribunal.
In the first count, the prosecution alleged that on October 5, 2021, Umar caused Kurchmives International Limited, a subcontractor engaged on the tribunal’s headquarters painting project, to pay ₦5.5 million to his wife, Zulaihatu Danladi Umar.
The second count alleges that on January 25, 2024, Portal Realities Limited, described as a sister company of JTF Global Links Limited, paid ₦6 million to Umar’s wife after JTF Global Links secured a contract to digitalise the tribunal’s management records.
The third and fourth counts allege that on October 9, 2024, Portal Realities Limited paid ₦2,043,916.88 each to Baze University as tuition fees for Umar’s daughter, Faiza Danladi Umar, and son, Yakuba Danladi Umar.
The prosecution contends that the payments amounted to corrupt and unfair advantages obtained through Umar’s position as head of the tribunal.
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The case is expected to resume on July 15 for the hearing of the bail application before the court determines the next stage of the trial.
Ibrahim Onipede is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
