The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has charged Bello Abubakar, an oncology consultant at the National Hospital in Abuja. He is accused of forging a medical report to help former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai get bail on health grounds.
The charges were filed on Friday. They claim Mr Abubakar knowingly issued a false medical report to mislead a public officer. This report supported Mr El-Rufai’s bail application in another case, marked KDH/KAD/ICPC/02/2026, currently in the Kaduna State High Court.
The charge sheet states that Mr Abubakar wrote the report, titled "Medical Report and Expert Opinion for Urgent Medical Intervention," dated 10 June 2026. He knew the contents were false and presented it to a Commissioner for Oaths in Kaduna State before it was submitted in court.
The first count accuses Mr Abubakar of providing false information to mislead a public officer, which goes against Section 17(1)(c) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act of 2000. The second count alleges he misused his position as a medical consultant to gain an unfair advantage by issuing the false report, which is an offence under Section 19 of the same Act.
Allegations of Collusion
The third count claims Mr Abubakar, a professor, worked with Aliyu Bala to create false information. This included writing the report to help Mr Bala file an affidavit supporting the bail application. This is against Section 79 of the Penal Code.
The fourth count accuses him of dishonestly making a false document. He presented the report as if it had the authority of the National Hospital, even when he allegedly knew the document was not authorized by the hospital. This is against Sections 362 and 364 of the Penal Code.
Hospital's Response
Court documents show that the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital, Raji Mahmud, is set to testify. He will say that Mr Abubakar issued the medical report in Mr El-Rufai’s favor without doing the required medical check. He gave it to the family to support the bail application.
The CMD will also tell the court that the National Hospital, after receiving letters from ICPC investigators, stated they did not authorize the report linked to Mr Abubakar. He is expected to say that the report was used by Mr Bala to support Mr El-Rufai’s bail request. Investigations showed that the report was false and did not follow the proper hospital process.
In a letter to ICPC, the CMD confirmed that Mr Abubakar is still working at the hospital as a Chief Consultant Radiation Oncologist. This is a contract appointment after he retired from full-time service.
The letter mentioned that the medical report from Mr Abubakar did not have a hospital number. However, staff searched the hospital's Electronic Medical Records using different versions of Mr El-Rufai’s name. They checked patients who visited the Oncology clinic in the first two weeks of June 2026.
The search found no matching record, leading the hospital to conclude that Mr El-Rufai was not a registered patient. The CMD said the lack of a hospital number or personal phone number made it impossible to verify any hospital visits or records related to him.
Contradicting Statements
The CMD added that hospital management was unaware of the report until ICPC presented it. The report was written on National Hospital letterhead but did not have the approval of hospital management.
In his statement, Mr Abubakar said Mr El-Rufai had been a patient at the National Hospital since 2005. He claimed he had been on staff there since 1999. He said many of his consultations with Mr El-Rufai were not documented because he felt they did not need formal records.
He said he documented only four consultations with Mr El-Rufai between 2017 and 2025. He added that between 2025 and 2026, he consulted for Mr El-Rufai three times while the former governor was in ICPC detention. This included twice at the commission’s facility and once at the National Hospital.
However, the CMD's statement contradicted Mr Abubakar's timeline. He said Mr El-Rufai was registered as a patient only on 7 July 2026 and that he was not aware Mr El-Rufai was a patient at the National Hospital before that.
Witnesses and Evidence
The ICPC has named two main witnesses: its investigator, Olugbemi Osanoto, and the National Hospital’s CMD, Raji Mahmud. They will also include a representative of the Kaduna State High Court and any additional witnesses as needed.
The ICPC lists several pieces of evidence in the charges. This includes extra-judicial statements from Mr Abubakar, dated 9 and 14 July 2026, and a statement from the CMD dated 10 July 2026. There is also hospital correspondence dated 18 June and 10 July 2026, and a wallet deposit record dated 7 July 2026, along with other evidence to be presented under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of 2015.
Background on El-Rufai
Mr El-Rufai faces several corruption-related charges from the ICPC. The former governor denies the allegations and has pleaded not guilty in various cases. He claims that the federal and Kaduna governments are using the prosecutions to keep him in detention.
PREMIUM TIMES previously reported that the ICPC arrested Mr Abubakar, who is Mr El-Rufai’s personal doctor, over the alleged false statement.
The commission has also arraigned Mr El-Rufai before the Federal High Court in Kaduna for an alleged N8.68 billion fraud connected to a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) contract during his time as governor. He is also facing another case in the Kaduna State High Court over alleged abuse of office and procurement violations from his time in office.
Drop your comment
No comments yet — be the first to drop the gist 👇