A serving member of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Adamu Aliyu, has surrendered to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) after being declared wanted over alleged contract fraud.

Aliyu, who represents Jos North-North Constituency, turned himself in at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja on Monday, days after Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court issued a warrant for his arrest.

The case stems from a petition by businessman Mohammed Jidda, who accused the lawmaker of defrauding him under the guise of securing a Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) contract worth ₦850 million at the University of Jos.

According to court filings, Aliyu allegedly entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jidda, who was required to pay ₦73.6 million upfront, including a ₦52 million facilitation fee to a company, Imanal Concept Ltd. Investigators say the lawmaker later presented a forged contract award letter from the University of Jos for the construction of an indoor sports hall valued at ₦500 million.

Trusting the document, Jidda reportedly transferred the funds into accounts linked to Aliyu and the company. However, when Jidda approached the university to begin paperwork, officials denied issuing the contract, later confirming the letter was fake.

Bank records obtained by the ICPC show ₦47.8 million was paid into Aliyu’s personal account, ₦22.4 million into Imanal Concept Ltd’s account, and ₦3.2 million directly to him.

Despite repeated summons, Aliyu allegedly failed to honour invitations from investigators, prompting the court to declare him wanted. The ICPC also told the court it had intelligence that the lawmaker was planning to flee the country.

When contacted earlier, Aliyu denied wrongdoing, claiming he only learned of the ICPC summons while on pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. He also insisted that he refunded ₦45 million to Jidda’s company, providing receipts of several transfers. He further claimed the forged contract letter came from an associate, insisting he merely passed it along.

As of press time, Aliyu was still being interrogated by ICPC operatives in Abuja.