ICPC secures 24-year jail term for ex-board nominee, contractor

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) has secured a 12-year jail term for both Dr. Saad Alanamu, a former chairman of the Governing Council of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, and Salman Sulaiman, the Chief Executive Director of Namylas Nigeria Limited, for collecting and giving a bribe, respectively.

The convicts, who had pleaded not guilty to all the charges brought against them, were arraigned before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of Kwara State High Court Nine, sitting in Ilorin, on an eight-count charge for bribery, in contravention of Sections 8 (1) (a), 9 (1) (a), 10 (a) (i), 18 (b), 19 and 22 (1) (a) (i) and punishable under sections 8 (1) (a) (ii), 9 (1) (b), 10 (a) (ii), 18 (d), 19, and 22 (6) of the ICPC Act, 2000.

Alanamu who was nominated into the Board of ICPC in 2017, but was later dropped on an allegation of corruption, which the Commission was investigating, was charged for collecting N5million bribe from a contractor-friend as kickback for the award of a contract. 

Sulaiman, on the other hand, was accused of bribing a government official when he paid the said sum of money into Alanamu’s bank account as a reward for the award of contract to his company.

Counsel to ICPC had averred that Namylas Nigeria Limited had submitted falsified and doctored documents during the bidding process.

The court was also informed of how Alanamu ensured that the contract for the construction and furnishing of an auditorium in the polytechnic, at the cost of N182, 369,625, was awarded to a company belonging to his friend when it was not qualified to execute the contract.

The prosecution, having established strong evidence of collusion, bid-rigging and corrupt practices against the accused, urged the court to mete out appropriate sanctions to them.

The trial judge, in his ruling, found Alanamu guilty and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment on counts 2 and 3, and five years with hard labour on counts 1, 4, and 5, without an option of fine.

He was also ordered to pay the sum of N25million, pursuant to Section 20 of the ICPC law, which states: “Without prejudice to any sentence of imprisonment imposed under this Act, a public officer or other person found guilty of soliciting, offering or receiving gratification shall forfeit the gratification and pay a fine of not less than five times the sum of the value of the gratification, which is the subject-matter of the offence…”

Justice Abdulgafar found Sulaiman guilty on counts 5 and 6 and sentenced him to five and seven years imprisonment, respectively.

The third defendant, Namylas Nigeria Limited, has been ordered to pay a fine of N1million.

All the sentences are to run concurrently.