The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has intensified its case against a National Hospital Abuja consultant oncologist, Professor Bello Abubakar, pursuing both criminal prosecution and professional disciplinary action over a disputed medical report allegedly prepared to support the bail application of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
While the criminal case is pending before the Kaduna State High Court, the anti-graft agency has also petitioned the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), seeking sanctions against the senior physician for alleged professional misconduct arising from the issuance of the report. NigerianEntertainment Coverage
In a petition submitted to the Medical Practitioners Investigating Panel, the ICPC urged the council to conduct a thorough and expeditious investigation into Abubakar’s conduct to determine whether he breached the ethical standards governing medical practice.
The petition, acknowledged by the MDCN on July 8, 2026, is supported by an affidavit deposed to by ICPC investigator Alex Omamuli, who participated in investigations into corruption allegations involving El-Rufai.
According to the commission, El-Rufai relied on a medical report dated June 10, 2026, titled “Medical Report and Expert Opinion for Urgent Medical Intervention,” to support an application for bail in one of the criminal cases against him. The report, bearing the letterhead of the National Hospital, Abuja, was signed by Abubakar, a Chief Consultant Clinical and Radiation Oncologist attached to the hospital on contract after his retirement.
The ICPC contends that investigations raised serious questions about the report’s authenticity and whether it was supported by any recognised medical examination or hospital records.
The commission sought verification from the National Hospital, which reportedly informed investigators that it had no record of El-Rufai being registered as a patient, undergoing clinical examination, laboratory tests or radiological investigations capable of supporting the diagnosis contained in the report.
According to the commission, hospital management also stated that the document lacked a hospital registration number and was issued without the institution’s knowledge or authorisation.
These allegations form the basis of a four-count charge filed against Abubakar before the Kaduna State High Court in suit number KDH/KAD/ICPC/02/2026.
The charges include allegedly supplying false information to mislead a public officer, abuse of office, conspiracy and dishonestly presenting a document as one authorised by the National Hospital.
The prosecution further alleges that Abubakar conspired with one Mohammed Bala Aliyu to prepare the report, which was later used to support a further affidavit filed in aid of El-Rufai’s bail application.
However, in a voluntary statement made to the ICPC in the presence of his lawyer, Rabiu Suleiman of Mahmud SAN & Co., Abubakar admitted preparing the medical report but firmly denied any knowledge of Mohammed Bala Aliyu or authorising anyone to depose to an affidavit based on the document.
“I cannot recall anybody with the name Mohammed Bala Aliyu, and I have never deposed or given him any order or authorised him to depose an affidavit,” the consultant stated.
“I have no idea who Mohammed Bala Aliyu is and never had any dealing or contact with the same person. Never,” he said.
Abubakar also gave details of his long-standing professional relationship with El-Rufai, explaining that he first met the former governor through his wife before El-Rufai later became his patient at the National Hospital around 2005.
He said the former governor was never registered at his private Belam Cancer Centre.
According to the oncologist, he consulted El-Rufai on only a handful of occasions between 2017 and 2025, with some interactions occurring by telephone while the former governor was outside Nigeria.
He further stated that he saw El-Rufai three times between June and July 2026 following requests from his family while he was in ICPC custody.
Abubakar maintained that two consultations took place at the ICPC facility in the presence of the commission’s medical personnel, while another was conducted at the National Hospital.
He said the July 9 consultation was attended by his senior registrar, the hospital’s Chief Medical Director and Director of Clinical Services, as well as other clinical personnel and El-Rufai’s wives.
Responding to photographs showing him handing a document to members of El-Rufai’s family, Abubakar explained that the images were taken in the hospital’s waiting area after the consultation and not inside the examination room.
He also outlined the hospital’s procedure for issuing medical reports, saying consultants prepare reports upon request, after which they are stamped by the Director of Clinical Services before being released to patients.
He insisted that determining whether such reports are subsequently registered was outside his responsibility.
The consultant declined to disclose El-Rufai’s medical diagnosis to investigators, arguing that doing so without the patient’s consent would violate medical ethics and confidentiality.
Despite those explanations, the ICPC maintains that its investigation found no clinical basis for the report.
The commission alleged that during El-Rufai’s detention, medical examinations conducted by his personal physicians and doctors attached to the detention facility revealed no symptoms corresponding with the diagnosis contained in Abubakar’s report.
It further claimed that no blood, urine, tissue or other diagnostic samples were collected by the oncologist during his visits.
Court documents indicate that the National Hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Professor Raji Mahmud, is expected to testify that the report was issued without the required medical examination and without the hospital’s authorisation.
He is also expected to tell the court that the institution’s internal review concluded that the document did not comply with established medical and administrative procedures.
The criminal case remains pending before the Kaduna State High Court, while the Medical Practitioners Investigating Panel will determine whether the allegations warrant referral to the Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.
Neither the criminal charges nor the allegations contained in the disciplinary petition have been determined by any court or tribunal.
Abubakar remains presumed innocent unless and until the allegations are proved.