The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday ordered the remand of former Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Yakubu Umar, in the Kuje Correctional Centre after he was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged N15.59 million fraud.

Justice U.P. Kekemeke made the remand order after Umar pleaded not guilty to a four-count charge bordering on alleged abuse of office, nepotism and conferring corrupt advantage on himself while serving as Chairman of the CCT and its Tenders Board.

Following the defendant's plea, prosecution counsel, Christopher Mshelia, urged the court to fix a date for trial and remand Umar in custody pending the hearing of his bail application.

Defence counsel, S. Edward, however, applied for bail on behalf of the former CCT chairman.

After listening to both parties, Justice Kekemeke adjourned the matter until July 15, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and ordered that Umar be remanded in the Kuje Correctional Centre.

According to the EFCC, Umar allegedly conferred corrupt and unfair advantage on himself to the tune of N15,587,833.76 by facilitating payments from contractors handling projects for the tribunal into bank accounts belonging to his wife, Zulaihatu Danladi Umar.

The anti-graft agency alleged that on October 5, 2021, Umar caused N5.5 million to be paid into his wife's Keystone Bank account by Kurchmives International Limited, a subcontractor engaged for the painting of the Code of Conduct Tribunal headquarters.

The commission also alleged that on January 25, 2024, he facilitated another payment of N6 million into her Zenith Bank account by Portal Realities Limited, a sister company of JTF Global Links Limited, which handled the digitalisation of the tribunal's management records.

The EFCC said the alleged offences contravened Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

Umar denied all the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges.