A former Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar, has been remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre after pleading not guilty to a four-count charge of corruption and abuse of office.

Justice U.P. Kekemeke of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja, ordered the remand on Thursday, July 9, 2026, following his arraignment by the *Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The EFCC alleged that Umar, while serving as CCT Chairman and Head of its Tenders Board, conferred corrupt advantages on himself by directing contractors to pay N15,587,833.76 into his wife’s bank accounts.

According to the charge, in October 2021, he allegedly instructed Kurchmives International Limited, a subcontractor for the painting of the tribunal’s headquarters, to transfer N5.5 million into his wife’s Keystone Bank account.

In January 2024, he was also accused of directing Portal Realities Limited, a company linked to JTF Global Links Limited that handled the tribunal’s records digitalisation, to pay N6 million* into his wife’s Zenith Bank account.

The EFCC said the transactions violated Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

Umar pleaded not guilty to all four counts.

EFCC counsel, Christopher Mshelia, urged the court to fix a date for trial and remand the defendant. His counsel, S. Edward, said a bail application had been filed and asked for it to be heard immediately. The prosecution, however, said it needed time to respond.

Justice Kekemeke adjourned the matter to July 15, 2026 for hearing of the bail application and ordered Umar’s remand pending then.

Long history of allegations

Umar was appointed CCT Chairman in 2011 by former President Goodluck Jonathan and served for about 13 years, handling several high-profile asset declaration cases.

His tenure was first dogged by controversy in 2013 over allegations that he solicited a N10 million bribe from a retired Customs officer, Rasheed Owolabi. The EFCC initially said it lacked sufficient evidence to prosecute Umar, but later filed charges in 2018.

He also faced petitions over alleged procurement irregularities and staff victimisation, which he denied.

Despite the allegations, Umar remained in office until 2024 when *President Bola Tinubu suspended him following recommendations by the National Judicial Council (NJC) over misconduct. Mainasara Kogo was later appointed acting chairman.

The EFCC said the current N15.59 million charges are separate from the earlier N10 million bribery case.