The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has initiated a criminal case against Bello Abubakar, a medical specialist at the National Hospital, Abuja, over allegations concerning a controversial health document reportedly linked to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
Court papers filed by the anti-graft agency revealed that Abubakar has been charged on four counts involving claims of document falsification, unlawful use of official authority, and giving inaccurate information in connection with a medical report allegedly used during an application seeking bail for the former governor.
The commission alleged that the doctor prepared a document described as “Medical Report and Expert Opinion for Urgent Medical Intervention,” dated June 10, 2026.
According to ICPC, the document was presented before the Kaduna State High Court as part of an attempt to justify El-Rufai’s request for temporary release based on health concerns.
The agency alleged that the contents of the report were misleading and that it was produced in a way capable of affecting the court’s decision on the bail application.
In one of the charges, prosecutors accused Abubakar of knowingly submitting information that could deceive a public official in the course of performing official duties.
The commission argued that the medical report was created with the intention of influencing actions connected to the legal proceedings involving the former governor.
Another count accused the consultant of abusing his professional position by issuing the document despite allegedly being aware that the medical details contained in it were not a true reflection of the patient’s condition.
ICPC claimed that the alleged action was carried out to provide an unfair benefit in the ongoing court matter.
The anti-corruption agency also alleged that Abubakar worked alongside Aliyu Bala to develop information that was later included in a supplementary affidavit submitted in support of El-Rufai’s bail request.
In the final charge, the commission accused the doctor of presenting the medical document in a manner that suggested it had been officially authorised by the National Hospital, Abuja, even though the institution allegedly did not approve or recognise the report.
The ICPC listed the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Dr. Raji Mahmud, among the witnesses expected to testify during the proceedings.
The agency said Mahmud would explain that the report was not prepared through the hospital’s approved procedures and that it did not receive official clearance from the management before being used in the court process.
Documents included in the case file showed that the National Hospital responded to investigators and rejected any association with the disputed medical report.
The hospital stated that while the document appeared on its official letterhead, it lacked necessary identification details, including a hospital reference number, and did not follow the institution’s standard administrative process.
Officials also said a search of the hospital’s electronic health records and oncology department database found no evidence confirming that El-Rufai had received treatment there during the period mentioned.
The hospital maintained that it only became aware of the document after investigators brought it forward and stressed that it neither issued, endorsed, nor approved the report.
The institution confirmed that Abubakar currently works as a Chief Consultant Radiation Oncologist under a contractual arrangement after completing his full-time employment.
However, during questioning by investigators, the doctor reportedly presented a different version of events.
Abubakar claimed that El-Rufai had been receiving medical attention at the National Hospital since 2005 and said he had personally provided care to the former governor on several occasions.
He admitted that some consultations were not officially captured in hospital records but insisted that he had attended to El-Rufai at different times.
The doctor said he documented only a few consultations between 2017 and 2025 and claimed that he also saw the former governor three times between 2025 and 2026 while El-Rufai was held by the ICPC.
He stated that two of those visits took place at the commission’s detention centre, while another was conducted at the National Hospital.
The hospital management, however, disagreed with the doctor’s account, stating that available records showed El-Rufai was only registered as a patient at the facility on July 7, 2026.
The hospital insisted that it had no earlier records showing that the former governor had been receiving treatment at the institution before that date.
ICPC said it would present more witnesses, including its principal investigator, Olugbemi Osanoto, as well as a representative of the Kaduna State High Court.
The commission also disclosed that it would tender several pieces of evidence, including statements from the accused doctor, official letters from the National Hospital, investigation reports, and other materials obtained during the course of its inquiry.
