Supreme Court under probe over alleged N2.2bn fraud

The Financial Records of the Supreme Court of Nigeria from 2009 to June 27, 2022, including the tenures of six previous Chief Justices of Nigeria (CJNs), will be examined by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu served as chief justice from 2010 to 2011, followed by Justices Dahiru Musdapher (2011–2012), Aloma Muhktar (2012–2014), Mahmud Mohammed (2014–2016), Justice Walter Onnoghen (2017–2019), and Justice Ibrahim Muhammad (2019-2022).
A plea dated May 30, 2022, written by a certain Aliyu Mohammed and delivered to Abdulrasheed Bawa, Chairman of the EFCC, ostensibly on behalf of the concerned Supreme Court of Nigeria officials, served as the basis for the extensive assignment.
According to a copy of the petition that Vanguard Law and Human Rights has seen, the initial petition was sent on June 1, 2022.
The anti-graft agency was requested in the petition to solve the riddle of who really owns a bank account at the United Bank for Africa with the account number 2027642863, where a total of N2.2 billion that was allegedly stolen from the Supreme Court of Nigeria was reportedly redirected.
The investigation will also try to determine where the funds that went into the account during that time period came from.
Additionally, members of the EFCC are anticipated to look into the validity of the claim that the current Executive Secretary of the National Judicial Council, Mr. Gambo Saleh, conspired with one Surajo, a staff member of NJC and the son of the recently retired Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, to sell a property used by a Justice of the Supreme Court without Justice Tanko’s knowledge.
The Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters’ ongoing efforts to visit the Supreme Court of Nigeria, SCN, on a fact-finding mission regarding an unprecedented memo written by 14 justices of the Supreme Court detailing allegations of mismanagement against the recently retired Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Tanko, appear to coincide with the EFCC’s decision to look into the petition.
Even as it pledged to involve the media in its job, the committee vowed to shortly announce a date for the task.
It is now known that the aforementioned message caused Justice Tanko to retire from his position on June 27, 2022.
Aliyu Mohammed’s petition challenging Ahmed Gambo and Justice Tanko-led Supreme Court
Aliyu Mohammed requested in the suit that the EFCC conduct a forensic assessment of the actions of the Justice Tanko Muhammad-supervised National Judicial Council and the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The petition reads in part: “Presently, there is disquiet in the court. Fingered as arrowhead in the on-going destabilisation and fraudulent activities are Mr. Surajo Muhammad who is the son of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Muhammad and Secretary of the NJC, Ahmed Gambo Saleh.
“A few fraudulent activities in recent times are carefully highlighted hereunder. A thorough investigation is paramount.
“It will interest you to know that a residence of a Justice of the Supreme Court located at the Villa, Abuja was sold by Gambo and Surajo recently. It was sold to a federal agency. This was unknown to the CJN. The CJN expressed disaffection over the shady transaction when the shady deals got to him. The underhand dealings between Gambo, Surajo and the agency so pissed the CJN that he ordered the reversal of the transaction. Before any remedy, the house in question had been demolished; today, the JSC who ought to have been assigned the said residence is homeless.
“Some justices were sworn in on November 6, 2020. As tradition demands, they were supposed to be given three assorted brand new cars each: A Mercedes Benz, Land Cruiser and one utility vehicle. Under Gambo and Surajo’s shenanigans, they (the JSC) were given only a Land Cruiser, albeit refurbished. A Hilux was added after one year and till date, the Mercedes Benz is still being awaited by the Justices.
“This is notwithstanding the fact that these projects were captured in the Capital Budget as the projects were for 2020 fiscal year.
“Today, Surajo could be said to be a defacto Head of the SCN as his father seems to have relinquished the administration of the court to him even when he is not a staff. The Chief Registrar who is supposed to be in charge of administration has been relegated and pushed to the back seat as fraudulent activities fester.
“Let us be mindful of the fact that the abracadabra with which Gambo, who was elevated to the position of Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court in 2014, was appointed the Secretary of the NJC in 2017 when his case file oozes of corruption allegations remains a mystery. His elevation tallied with the time he was supposed to be answering pertinent questions of fraud. Indeed, his elevation is still a mystery to many of us in the anti-corruption community.
“The cases of economic and financial crimes which still hang on Gambo’s head like the sword of damocles are legion. Gambo was alleged to have diverted the sum of cumulatively N2.2 billion belonging to the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He allegedly diverted the sum into his personal bank account domiciled at the United Bank for Africa PLC Account Number 2027642863.
“Following diligent preliminary investigation, same Gambo was alleged to have confessed that the money in question was his as the bulk constitute gift from friends. But further investigation revealed that he, indeed, outside of outright pilfering from the vault of the apex court, collected bribes from various contractors who ended up either executing shoddy jobs or outright abandonment of such contract which would have been paid 100 per cent.
“Further investigation revealed that he obtained N19 million gratification from Ababia Ventures Limited, a private contractor who provides services to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
“Other of his fraudulent activities as investigation would further reveal include:
*Obtaining N21 million gratification from MBA Computers Limited, a private contractor who provides services to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
*Obtaining N2.4 million gratification from Welcon Nigeria Limited, a private contractor to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
*Obtaining N6 million gratification from Welcon Nigeria Limited, a private contractor to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
*Receiving N10m gratification from Willysdave Limited, a private contractor to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
*Obtaining N16 million gratification from Dean Musa Nigeria Limited, a private contractor who provided services to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
“Even when investigation was successfully concluded, it remains a serious concern that the candidature of such a high profile suspect would be pushed for elevation as Secretary of the highest body of the judiciary, the NJC. Does that mean crime in which ever form, especially economic and financial crimes, are now being rewarded? This is a question begging for an answer.
“It is high time both the EFCC and the NJC took a second look at the activities of the SCN and NJC under Gambo’s watch.
“ There are enough reasons why this petition should not be swept under the carpet. He is believed to be worth over N10b. As a public officer, how did he come about this questionable wealth? He needs to offer some explanations to the anti-graft agency.
“I hope he is not one of the untouchables. His antecedents are enough suggestion on why this petition should not be ignored. A stich in time saves nine.
“Many thanks for your quick intervention,” Aliyu Mohammed signed off, leaving behind his GSM contact: 0702335070233.
Aliyu Mohammed’s petition’s issues
A close examination of the petition would reveal that it raised seven major issues, including the alleged sale of a property in Aso Villa, which was occupied by a Justice of the Supreme Court, by the NJC Executive Secretary duo Gambo Saleh and Surajo; the son of Justice Tanko Muhammad; the denial of the official vehicles that Supreme Court justices appointed in 2020 are entitled to; that Surajo allegedly took over the Supreme Court’s management from his father and the Chief Registrar of the court; Gambo Saleh allegedly diverted N2.2 billion belonging to the Supreme Court into his personal bank account with Account Number 2027642863; Gambo Saleh assumed the position of Executive Secretary of NJC in 2017 under hazy circumstances; that Gambo Saleh allegedly received N74.4 million in payment from five Supreme Court contractors; that the Federal Government dropped a N2.2 billion fraud allegation against him as part of a plea deal; and that Gambo Saleh is worth N10 billion.
However, some of the claims made in the petition were unclear because the author had not offered enough details.
Following receipt of the petition, Vanguard Law and Human Rights made multiple attempts to contact Aliyu Mohammed in order to learn more about some of the charges in the petition, but the calls were never answered.
The Supreme Court’s management claimed that they examined the staff list for the highest bench but that no one answered such a name, thus attempts to locate him there too were unsuccessful.
Additionally, it was reliably reported that the EFCC had made numerous unsuccessful attempts to contact the petition’s author. This information prevented the anti-graft organization from acting right away.
However, Vanguard Law and Human Rights discussed the concerns stated in the petition with the National Judicial Council’s and the Supreme Court of Nigeria’s management.
The National Judicial Council’s director of information, Mr. Soji Oye, spoke on behalf of the council’s secretary, Mr. Gambo Saleh, while the former chief justice of Nigeria’s media assistant, Mr. Ahuraka Isah, spoke on behalf of Justice Tanko Muhammad and his son, Surajo.
Before his boss’s resignation, Ahuraka spoke with Vanguard Law and Human Rights, and Soji Oye spoke during the week.
In particular, the National Judicial Council and the Nigerian Supreme Court both stated that they had no objections to any kind of investigation.
According to Mr. Soji Oye: “Let me start by saying that the author of the petition is not a staff of the Supreme Court as he claimed. No one on the staff list of the Supreme Court answers that name. We have also made several efforts to call the GSM number he left, it never rang. Having said that, let us take the issues raised as they affect the Executive Secretary of NJC, one after the other.
“Let me start by reacting to the preamble to the petition where the author was quoting a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Eko who suggested that the Auditor-General of the Federation should once in a while open the books of the NJC. You will be surprised to learn that the Auditor-General of the Federation has an office in the NJC with 11 staff opening our books on daily basis. The Office of the AGF is permanently with us here. We run an open administration,” he said.
The claim that Gambo and Surajo conspired to sell a Supreme Court Justice’s apartment in the Villa is absurd.
The Executive Secretary of the National Judicial Council, Gambo Saleh, and Surajo, the son of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, are accused of selling a house owned by a sitting Supreme Court Justice, according to the National Judicial Council image creator.
Soji Oye asserts that it appears the author purposefully withheld some facts on the disputed property in order to damage Saleh Gambo, the secretary of the NJC.
He clarified that the house in question (House 10, Ibrahim Taiwo Street) belonged to the Presidency and was only given to the Supreme Court for the purpose of housing a Justice of the Supreme Court.
“It may interest the public to know that the said House No 10, Ibrahim Taiwo Street on the way to the Villa was once occupied by the immediate past CJN, Justice Tanko, before he relocated to his official residence. The property was next to House No 11 occupied by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU.
“What happened was that NFIU had a property close to the said residence of the Supreme Court Justice but it needed to enlarge the office. It applied to the Presidency to annex the residence of the Supreme Court Justice, a request that was granted. The NFIU later approached the CJN who said he was not averse to the decision but that the Presidency should give them a replacement. The building is on No 10, Ibrahim Taiwo Street on your way to the Villa if you step out of the Supreme Court here.
“The Presidency gave the Supreme Court another building located at No 11, Queen Elizabeth Crescent in replacement while NFIU moved in to demolish the building on Ibrahim Taiwo in order to rebuild their office the way they want. Currently, Julius Berger is rebuilding the office for them.
“Come to think of it, does it make any sense for any one to say two persons connived to sell a house belonging to the Presidency to the NFIU?”
In order to support his assertion, Soji Oye really provided documentation from Vanguard Law and Human Rights.
Allegation of diversion of N2.2b S’Court fund against me malicious, misleading
“The purported UBA account they claimed belonged to Mr. Gambo is the operational account of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. The account was opened in 2009 during the tenure of Justice Kutigi by the Supreme Court. You can do your personal investigation. The account number is not hidden.
“Mr Gambo became the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court in 2014. The said N2.2 billion was the amount that passed through that account since it was opened in 2009 till 2016.
“The account takes care of the welfare of the Supreme Court justices. Justice Gambo was not a signatory to the account. How can the account of the Supreme Court be said to belong to an individual?”
In fact, Justice Usman Alhaji Musale served as the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court from 2007 to 2010 at the time the account was registered, according to Vanguard Law and Human Rights. He quit NJC to become a judge on the supreme court.
Justice Sunday Olorundahunsi succeeded Musale in 2010 and held the position until 2014, when he was appointed to the high court as well. Mr. Ahmed Gambo Saleh succeeded Olorundahunsi in 2014 and held the position until 2017, when he was appointed executive secretary of the National Judicial Council. Records also revealed that Mrs. Hadizatu Uwani Mustapha succeeded Saleh in 2017 and held the position until August 2021, when she resigned after reaching the statutory retirement age of 60, while Mrs. Hajo Sarki Bello has served as the apex bench’s chief registrar since August 2021.
According to Soji Oye, the petitioner claimed that Mr. Saleh was responsible for the alleged N2.2 billion transfer through the Supreme Court account number between 2009 and 2016, which was used to intentionally and maliciously mislead the public and damage the reputation of the NJC scribe.
On allegation of collecting N74.4m gratification from S’Court contractors
“The petitioner also listed some figures which he claimed were the bribes collected by Mr Gambo. I ask: where were the purported bribes paid into? All the monies which they claimed were bribes totalling N74.4 million were in the same UBA Account belonging to the Supreme Court and operated by the cashier. These spurious allegations were once investigated and Gambo was given a clean bill of health. I don’t know what their mission is,” he added.
How I emerged the Executive Secretary of NJC—Gambo
The petition also questioned how Gambo became the Executive Secretary of the National Judicial Council, NJC, in less than honest circumstances.
Contrary to the assertion, according to Soji Oye, Gambo’s selection as the secretary of the NJC was not only transparent but also the result of his outstanding performance in the job interview.
In fact, Gambo competed for the position with Mr. Williams Rotimi Daudu, the Chief Registrar of the National Industrial Court, and Mr. Aliyu Ibrahim, a former Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal. Vanguard Law and Human Rights also obtained a copy of the score sheet used to evaluate candidates for the top position. Based on his outstanding performance in the interview, the score sheet indicated that he outperformed the other two candidates and won the position.
That Gambo Saleh is worth N10b, most ridiculous
The most absurd claim made by the petitioner, in Soji Oye’s opinion, was that Gambo was worth N10 billion. He claimed that aside from the fact that he had merely dropped the number, the charge was unsupported by even a shred of evidence.