The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has formally requested the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Dr. Bello Abubakar, the oncologist implicated in an alleged medical report forgery connected to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai's bail application. The ICPC's letter, addressed to the Medical and Dental Practitioners' Investigation Panel, calls for a professional misconduct complaint to be registered against Abubakar.
ICPC Demands Professional Sanction Against Abubakar
In a letter dated July 7, 2026, the ICPC chairman urged the MDCN to open a disciplinary case against Abubakar, alleging that he violated medical ethics by issuing a report without proper clinical examination. The MDCN confirmed receipt of the complaint on July 8, 2026. The petition is supported by an affidavit sworn before the High Court of Nasarawa State, detailing the alleged misconduct.
Affidavit Details Alleged Medical Fraud
The affidavit, deposed by ICPC investigator Alex Omamuli, reveals that El-Rufai submitted a medical report dated June 10, 2026, signed by Abubakar on National Hospital, Abuja letterhead, to support his bail application before the Kaduna State High Court. Omamuli, who worked on the corruption probe against El-Rufai between 2024 and 2025, stated that the ICPC immediately launched an investigation into the document's authenticity.
According to the affidavit, Abubakar visited El-Rufai at the ICPC detention facility only twice—on June 8 and June 18, 2026. During both visits, only a blood pressure check was performed. No blood, urine, tissue, or other samples were collected from El-Rufai. Furthermore, regular check-ups by El-Rufai's personal physicians and the commission's in-house doctors found no symptoms consistent with the serious diagnosis described in the disputed report, as reported by Premium Times.
Hospital Disavows Knowledge of Report
The ICPC wrote to the National Hospital's Chief Medical Director, Muhammad Mahmud, on June 17, 2026, to verify the report. Mahmud responded the following day, stating that El-Rufai had no hospital number on file, no matching record in the electronic medical records system, and no documented visit to any doctor or department at the facility. The hospital declared it had no knowledge of the report until the ICPC brought it to their attention and confirmed that Abubakar, a retired staff member currently on contract, issued the document without management's knowledge or approval.
Criminal Charges Already in Place
In addition to the disciplinary request, the ICPC has already filed criminal charges against Abubakar on four counts. He is accused of authoring a report titled "Medical Report and Expert Opinion for Urgent Medical Intervention," knowing its contents to be false, and submitting it before a Commissioner for Oaths in Kaduna to support the bail bid. The charges include giving false information to mislead a public officer, conferring an unfair advantage using his professional position, conspiracy to fabricate false information, and dishonestly presenting the document as carrying the National Hospital's authority, according to Punch.
Mahmud is listed as a prosecution witness and is expected to testify that Abubakar handed the report to El-Rufai's family without conducting the required examination and without the hospital's authorisation. Abubakar is currently in ICPC custody. He is presumed innocent unless found guilty by a court. El-Rufai has denied all corruption charges against him and has maintained that the prosecutions are politically motivated.
El-Rufai Family Appeals to President Tinubu
The family of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene after they were unable to meet the bail conditions set by the court handling his case. El-Rufai's wife, Asiya, stated that the family had been unable to secure the required property attestation from the traditional council of Kaduna State, which was among the documents demanded to complete bail formalities. The appeal underscores the ongoing legal and political tensions surrounding the former governor's prosecution.
