The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has petitioned the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, seeking professional sanctions against Professor Bello Abubakar over an alleged forged medical report submitted in support of a bail application by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ELLAN.png")
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-Summer-IDRI-Masterclass.jpg")
In the petition addressed to the Medical Practitioners Investigating Panel, the ICPC asked that a formal complaint be lodged against Abubakar for alleged acts of professional misconduct arising from the preparation and issuance of the disputed report.
The commission based its complaint on allegations contained in an affidavit dated July 7, 2026, and filed before the High Court of Nasarawa State.
The petition urged the disciplinary panel to conduct what the commission described as a thorough and swift investigation into the conduct of Abubakar, a Chief Consultant Clinical and Radiation Oncologist at the National Hospital, Abuja.
An acknowledged copy of the petition indicated that the MDCN received the complaint on July 8, paving the way for the Medical Practitioners Investigating Panel to examine the allegations and determine whether the matter should be referred to the Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.
The MDCN is the statutory body responsible for regulating medical and dental practice in Nigeria, investigating complaints of professional misconduct and enforcing ethical standards among practitioners.
The affidavit supporting the ICPC’s petition was deposed to by Alex Omamuli, an investigator who participated in the commission’s investigation of alleged corruption and abuse of office involving El-Rufai between 2024 and 2025.
According to the affidavit, El-Rufai, who is facing separate trials before the Federal High Court in Kaduna and the Kaduna State High Court, applied for bail on health grounds and attached a medical report dated June 10, 2026, to support the application.
The report, titled “Medical Report and Expert Opinion for Urgent Medical Intervention,” was allegedly issued on the letterhead of the National Hospital, Abuja, and signed by Abubakar.
In the document, the oncologist reportedly stated a diagnosis concerning El-Rufai’s health and claimed that his expert opinion was based on the former governor’s medical records at the hospital.
The ICPC, however, alleged that its investigation raised questions about the authenticity of the report and the medical basis for the diagnosis contained in it.
The commission said it wrote to the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital on June 17, requesting confirmation of the report and an explanation of the circumstances under which El-Rufai, who was then in ICPC custody, was examined or consulted.
In its response dated June 18, the hospital’s management, led by its Chief Medical Director, Professor Muhammad Mahmud, reportedly informed the commission that the medical report did not contain a hospital registration number.
The hospital also said a search of its electronic medical records, using different versions and arrangements of El-Rufai’s name, produced no record identifying him as a registered patient of the facility.
According to the affidavit, the National Hospital could not trace any visit by the former governor to any of its departments or medical practitioners.
The hospital was also said to have found no record of a physical examination, clinical history, laboratory test or radiological investigation that would ordinarily have formed the basis of the diagnosis contained in the disputed report.
Management reportedly told the ICPC that it was unaware of the report until the commission presented it for verification.
Although the document allegedly carried the National Hospital’s letterhead, the hospital maintained that it was issued without the knowledge or authorisation of its management.
The National Hospital also confirmed that Abubakar had retired from its service but was subsequently engaged as a contract medical practitioner.
The ICPC further alleged that El-Rufai was examined at the commission’s detention facility in accordance with standard procedure and in the presence of a medical practitioner of his choice, but the examination did not disclose symptoms associated with the diagnosis contained in the disputed report.
Relying on information attributed to its resident doctor, Ebenezer Ozomata, the commission said Abubakar visited El-Rufai at the ICPC headquarters on June 8 and June 18, 2026.
The affidavit alleged that on both occasions, only El-Rufai’s blood pressure was checked by a nurse or duty doctor and that no additional medical examination was conducted.
It further alleged that Abubakar did not collect blood, urine, tissue or any other bodily sample from the former governor throughout his detention.
The commission also claimed that regular medical checks conducted by El-Rufai’s personal physicians and doctors attached to the detention facility did not reveal symptoms corresponding with the diagnosis contained in Abubakar’s report.
Omamuli consequently alleged that Abubakar issued a medical report and expert opinion concerning a person who was not registered as a patient of the National Hospital and without supporting clinical records, examinations or medical investigations.
He also alleged that the doctor used the hospital’s letterhead without the knowledge or authorisation of its management.
The latest disciplinary petition comes after the ICPC filed a four-count criminal charge against Abubakar over the same medical report.
The charge, marked KDH/KAD/ICPC/02/2026, is pending before the Kaduna State High Court.
The commission accused Abubakar of preparing the June 10 report despite allegedly knowing that its contents were false and presenting it to a Commissioner for Oaths in Kaduna State before it was filed in court as part of El-Rufai’s bail application.
In the first count, Abubakar was accused of supplying false information with the intention of misleading a public officer, contrary to Section 17(1)(c) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
The second count alleged that he used his position as a medical consultant to confer an unfair advantage by knowingly issuing the disputed report, contrary to Section 19 of the Act.
The third count accused Abubakar of conspiring with one Aliyu Bala to fabricate information intended to enable Bala to depose to a further affidavit supporting El-Rufai’s bail application, contrary to Section 79 of the Penal Code.
In the fourth count, the oncologist was accused of dishonestly presenting the report as a document authorised by the National Hospital, contrary to Sections 362 and 364 of the Penal Code.
Court documents indicated that the National Hospital’s Chief Medical Director is expected to testify that the report was issued without the required medical examination and was handed to El-Rufai’s family for use in the bail application.
Mahmud is also expected to testify that the hospital did not authorise the report and that its internal investigation found that it did not follow the required medical and administrative procedures.
Abubakar was reportedly in ICPC custody and could not immediately respond to the latest petition seeking disciplinary action against him.
The allegations have not been proven, and Abubakar is presumed innocent unless and until he is found guilty by a competent court or professional disciplinary tribunal.
El-Rufai is facing multiple corruption-related prosecutions instituted by the ICPC. He has pleaded not guilty, denied wrongdoing and accused the federal and Kaduna State governments of using the cases to prolong his detention.
LAWBREED — Equipping You For Greater Success!
_______________________________________________________________________
“Order Justice Omolaye-Ajileye’s Electronic Evidence Books Now” — Essential Guides On Evidence Act, Case Law And Digital Proof
[A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials
Available now for NGN 40,000 at ASC Publications, 10, Boyle Street, Onikan, Lagos. Beside High Court, TBS. Email publications@ayindesanni.com or WhatsApp +2347056667384. Purchase Link: https://paystack.com/buy/evidence-act-complete-annotation
______________________________________________________________________ “Enhance Legal Practice With Authoritative Reports” — Alexander Payne Offers Comprehensive Law Reports, Spanning Over A Century Of Nigerian Jurisprudence
Interested buyers are encouraged to place their orders and enquiries via:
0704 444 4777, 0704 444 4999, 0818 199 9888
Website: www.alexandernigeria.com
As an added bonus, every purchase comes with a FREE ebook titled: “How to use the AI in Legalpedia and Law Pavilion.”
Ohio Books Ltd praises the publication, stating:
"....this is the only Nigerian book I know of on the topic."
How to Order:
📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878
📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com
🌎 Website: www.benadigwe.com
Ebook Version: Access it directly online at https://selar.com/prv626
Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACiarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
