The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a former Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Dutsinma (FUDMA), Katsina State, Professor Armayau Hamisu Bichi, over an alleged N19.7 million bribery and contract kickback scheme.
Bichi was on Thursday docked before Justice Musa Danladi Abubakar of the Katsina State High Court alongside two co-defendants, Lawal Tukur Mani and Aliyu Lawal Jari, on a five-count charge bordering on bribery and abuse of office.
The Kano Zonal Directorate of the anti-graft agency accused the former vice-chancellor of using the two co-defendants as conduits to receive illicit payments from contractors in exchange for the award of contracts during his tenure at the university.
One of the charges alleged that Bichi, sometime in July 2023, while serving as Vice-Chancellor of FUDMA, corruptly obtained N5 million from a contractor, Theophilus Ilechukwu of Goezek International Agency Nigeria Limited, as gratification for the award of contracts for the supply of medical equipment and the furnishing of a laboratory at the institution.
According to the charge, the money was paid into an Access Bank account belonging to the third defendant, Aliyu Lawal Jari, an act said to be contrary to and punishable under Sections 79(a), (b) and (i) of the Penal Code Law of Katsina State, 2021.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the EFCC alleged that the total sum involved in the bribery scheme amounted to N19.7 million, which was received in tranches through the second and third defendants as kickbacks from beneficiaries of various contracts awarded by the university.
All three defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read in open court.
Following their pleas, prosecuting counsel, Salihu Sani, urged the court to fix a date for trial to enable the prosecution assemble its witnesses and present evidence.
Counsel to the defendants, A. L. Yusuf and Raphael Henry, in separate applications, prayed the court to grant their clients bail pending trial.
Justice Abubakar admitted each of the defendants to bail in the sum of N5 million with one surety in like sum. He thereafter adjourned the case to March 12, 2026, for the commencement of trial.
The arraignment adds to the growing list of senior public officials being prosecuted by the EFCC over alleged financial crimes, as the commission intensifies its crackdown on corruption in public institutions across the country.
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