The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned a consultant radiation oncologist at the National Hospital, Abuja, Prof. Bello Abubakar, on a four-count charge bordering on alleged forgery, abuse of office and the issuance of a false medical report purportedly used to support former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s application for bail on health grounds.
The charge, filed before the Kaduna State High Court and obtained by journalists on Monday, alleged that Abubakar knowingly authored a document titled “Medical Report and Expert Opinion for Urgent Medical Intervention,” dated June 10, 2026, with the intention of influencing judicial proceedings in favour of the former governor.
According to the anti-corruption agency, the medical report was presented before a Commissioner for Oaths in Kaduna State and subsequently tendered in support of El-Rufai’s bail application in Suit No. KDH/KAD/ICPC/02/2026, despite allegedly containing false claims.
The ICPC accused the consultant, in the first count, of knowingly giving false information to mislead a public officer, contrary to Section 17(1)(c) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
In the second count, the commission alleged that Abubakar abused his office by issuing the disputed report to confer an undue advantage on El-Rufai, an offence contrary to Section 19 of the same Act.
The third count alleged that the defendant acted in concert with one Aliyu Bala to fabricate false information by preparing the report, which was subsequently relied upon in an affidavit filed in support of the former governor’s bail application, contrary to Section 79 of the Penal Code.
The fourth count accused the consultant of dishonestly making a false document by presenting the report as an official publication of the National Hospital, Abuja, despite allegedly lacking the institution’s approval, contrary to Sections 362 and 364 of the Penal Code.
Court documents indicated that the prosecution will rely heavily on the testimony of the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the National Hospital, Dr. Raji Mahmud, who is expected to tell the court that Abubakar issued the report without conducting the requisite medical examination and handed it to El-Rufai’s family for use in court.
The CMD is also expected to testify that the hospital neither authorised nor endorsed the report and only became aware of its existence after it was submitted to the institution by ICPC investigators.
According to the prosecution, a review of the hospital’s records revealed that although the report was written on the National Hospital’s official letterhead, it carried no hospital number, while a search of the hospital’s Electronic Medical Records and Oncology Clinic register found no evidence that El-Rufai was registered or treated as a patient during the period covered by the report.
The hospital further maintained that El-Rufai was not a registered patient when the report was issued and that management neither approved nor had prior knowledge of the document.
In his statement to investigators, however, Abubakar denied the allegations, insisting that El-Rufai had been his patient since 2005 and that he had treated him on several occasions over the years, although some consultations were not formally documented.
He claimed he attended to the former governor three times between 2025 and 2026 while he was in ICPC custody, including two visits to the commission’s facility and one consultation at the National Hospital.
However, the hospital’s CMD reportedly contradicted the consultant’s claims, stating that available records showed El-Rufai was first registered as a patient at the National Hospital on July 7, 2026, with no prior documentation indicating he had ever received treatment at the facility.
The ICPC has listed its lead investigator, Olugbemi Osanoto, the National Hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Dr. Raji Mahmud, a representative of the Kaduna State High Court and other witnesses as part of its prosecution team.
The commission also intends to tender documentary evidence, including the disputed medical report, the defendant’s extra-judicial statements, official correspondence from the National Hospital and other investigation records.
El-Rufai is currently standing trial in separate corruption cases instituted by the ICPC, including allegations of fraud in the award of an N8.68 billion Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance contract, as well as abuse of office and procurement violations before the Kaduna State High Court. The former governor has denied all the allegations and pleaded not guilty.
