ICPC Reports El-Rufai's Doctor for Alleged Fake Medical Report

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has written to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN). They are asking for action against Bello Abubakar, an oncologist accused of forging a medical report to help former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai get bail.

In a letter to the Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Investigation Panel, the ICPC chairman requested a formal complaint against Mr Abubakar for professional misconduct. This request is based on an affidavit dated 7 July 2026, which was presented to the High Court of Nasarawa State.

The petition, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, calls for “a thorough and swift investigation” into the allegations against Mr Abubakar. He is a Chief Consultant Clinical/Radiation Oncologist at the National Hospital in Abuja.

The MDCN is the body that regulates the practice of medicine, dentistry, and alternative medicine in Nigeria. It was set up under the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, Cap 221 (now Cap M8), Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990.

The council investigates ethical complaints and enforces professional conduct. The Act allows the council to create and regularly update a code of conduct for medical and dental practice in Nigeria.

To enforce this code, MDCN has two disciplinary bodies. The Medical Practitioners Investigating Panel looks into allegations of misconduct. The Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal handles cases brought to it.

An acknowledgment of the complaint shows that MDCN received the ICPC complaint against Mr Abubakar on 8 July. The Medical Practitioners Investigating Panel will now investigate the allegations.

The Affidavit

The affidavit supporting the petition was signed by Alex Omamuli, an ICPC investigator. He was part of the team looking into corruption and abuse-of-office claims against Mr El-Rufai from 2024 to 2025.

According to the affidavit, Mr El-Rufai, who is currently on trial at the Federal High Court in Kaduna and the Kaduna State High Court, applied for bail on health grounds. He presented a medical report dated 10 June to support his bail request.

The medical report was on the letterhead of the National Hospital, Abuja, and signed by Mr Abubakar. He described Mr El-Rufai’s condition and stated that it was based on the former governor’s medical records at the hospital.

The investigator noted that the ICPC wrote to the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital on 17 June. They asked the hospital to verify the report and clarify how Mr El-Rufai, who was in custody, was examined.

In its response dated 18 June, the hospital’s management, led by Chief Medical Director Muhammad Mahmud, told the ICPC that the report did not mention a hospital number. They also said a search of its records showed no match for Mr El-Rufai’s name.

The hospital confirmed that Mr El-Rufai was not a registered patient. They could not find any record of him visiting any department or doctor at the hospital. They also stated that there were no records of examinations, lab tests, or clinical history that should have preceded the diagnosis in the report.

The hospital added that they were unaware of the report until the ICPC presented it. Although the document had their letterhead, it was issued without the management's knowledge or approval. They confirmed that Mr Abubakar is a retired staff member but is now working with the hospital on a contract basis.

No Further Examination Conducted, ICPC Says

The affidavit also stated that Mr El-Rufai, who has been in ICPC detention since February, was examined at the ICPC detention facility. This was done following standard procedure, with a medical practitioner of his choice present. The examination did not show any symptoms related to the diagnosis in the disputed report.

According to the ICPC’s resident doctor, Ebenezer Ozomata, Mr Abubakar visited Mr El-Rufai at the ICPC headquarters twice, on 8 and 18 June 2026. During these visits, a nurse or duty doctor only checked his blood pressure, with no other examinations done.

The affidavit pointed out that no blood, urine, tissue, or other samples were taken from Mr El-Rufai by Mr Abubakar throughout his detention. Both his personal doctors and the in-house doctors had found no symptoms matching the diagnosis.

The ICPC investigator concluded that Mr Abubakar issued a medical report and an expert opinion for someone who was not a patient of the National Hospital. He did this without clinical records, examination, or investigations to support his claims and used the hospital's letterhead without authorization.

Mr Abubakar is currently in ICPC custody and has not been able to comment on the allegations or the latest petition to the MDCN.

Background

PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported that the ICPC filed a four-count charge against Mr Abubakar. They accused him of forging the medical report to help secure Mr El-Rufai’s bail on health grounds in a separate case marked KDH/KAD/ICPC/02/2026, which is pending before the Kaduna State High Court.

The charge sheet states that Mr Abubakar authored the report titled “Medical Report and Expert Opinion for Urgent Medical Intervention” dated 10 June 2026, knowing its contents were false. He presented it to a Commissioner for Oaths in Kaduna State before it was filed in court.

The first count accuses him of providing false information intending to mislead a public officer. The second charge says he used his position as a medical consultant to gain an unfair advantage by issuing the false report.

The third count accuses Mr Abubakar of conspiring with Aliyu Bala to create false information by writing the report to support Bala’s affidavit for the bail application. The fourth count says he dishonestly presented the report as if it had the National Hospital’s authority.

Documents show that the National Hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Mr Mahmud, is expected to testify that Mr Abubakar issued the report without conducting the needed medical examination. He is expected to confirm that the hospital did not authorize the report and that investigations showed it was false and did not follow due process.

Mr Abubakar is presumed innocent of the charges unless the court finds him guilty.

Mr El-Rufai is facing several corruption-related cases filed by the ICPC. He has denied the allegations, pleaded not guilty, and accused the federal and Kaduna governments of using the cases to keep him in detention.