THE Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has vowed to challenge a Kano High Court judgment that restrained it from further investigating Abdullahi Rogo, the Director General of Protocol at the Kano State Government House, who is facing a multi-billion-naira corruption probe.
The ruling, delivered by a justice, Musa Ahmad on August 18, 2025, declared that ICPC’s invitation to Rogo amounted to a breach of his fundamental rights and barred the commission from taking further action against him. The court also awarded him N2 million in costs.
The ICPC, however, insists that the decision undermines its statutory powers and shields a powerful official from accountability. The agency said it would file an appeal immediately after obtaining the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the ruling.
Rogo has secured a judgment restraining the ICPC from inviting him for further questioning. Findings show that Rogo is under investigation by both the ICPC and its sister agency-the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly siphoning ₦6.5 billion through fictitious contracts that were never awarded or executed.
According to ICPC investigators, Rogo allegedly diverted the amount belonging to the Kano State government through bureau de change (BDC) operators, Shell companies and personal accounts.
Already, the commission has reportedly recovered more than ₦1 billion out of the funds that were allegedly funnelled through suspicious companies, bureau de change operators, and personal accounts.
Findings indicate that on July 2, 2025, the Federal High Court in Kano issued a final forfeiture order, granting the Federal Government control of a portion of the suspected loot traced to the governor’s aide.
Earlier in April the ICPC had approached the court by ex parte motion, seeking forfeiture of N142 million “reasonably suspected to have been acquired illegally.”
On May 7, the judge granted interim forfeiture of the funds and directed that a notice be published in a national newspaper, inviting anyone with interest to show cause within a month why the money should not be permanently forfeited.
With no claimant emerging, the court ordered a final forfeiture of the N142 million, ruling that it represented proceeds of corruption connected to Rogo, The ICIR gathered.
It was also gathered that the forfeited sum is only a fraction of the transactions traced to the embattled protocol director.
The commission insists that its invitation was based on the powers provided in the ICPC enabling Act. Section 6(a) of the ICPC Act, 2000, states: “It shall be the duty of the commission where reasonable grounds exist for suspecting that any person has conspired to commit or has attempted to commit an offence under this Act or any other law prohbiting corruption, to receive and investigate any report of the conspiracy to commit, attempt to commit or the commission of such offence, and in appropriate cases, to prosecute the offenders.”
Following a petition by a whistleblower, the anti-corruption agency commenced investigation against Rogo, for allegedly siphoning ₦1,170,000,000 (one billion, one hundred and seventy million naira) from the account of the Kano State Government.
During its investigation into petitions marked ICPC/P/NW/21/2024 and ICPC/P/NC/564/2024, the ICPC invited the protocol director to appear before its operatives to respond to the allegations.
However, instead of honouring the invitation, Rogo, through his lawyers, approached the Kano High Court in Bichi and filed an application to enforce his fundamental human rights.
The allegations
The ICIR reports that Rogo, Director General of Protocol at the Kano State Government House, is under investigation by the ICPC for allegedly siphoning state funds through multiple companies and personal accounts.
Investigators allege that over ₦1.17 billion was funnelled through A.Y. Maikifi Petroleum and Ammas Oil and Gas Limited into bureau de change operators, who then converted the money to U.S. dollars for Rogo. About ₦1.1 billion has since been recovered.
Rogo is also accused of laundering over ₦3 billion through a company account, with ₦142 million forfeited by court order. In addition, his Zenith Bank accounts reportedly handled billions in suspicious inflows, exceeding legal limits for public officials.
Sources within the anti-graft agencies disclosed that he initially made a confessional statement before later seeking refuge in the courts.
Meanwhile, some bureau de change operators have reportedly implicated Rogo in the multi-billion-naira corruption scandal.
The operators, in statements to EFCC and ICPC, reportedly described how they moved huge sums of public funds at Rogo’s request.
Legal fireworks
After being invited by the ICPC for questioning, Rogo, filed a suit at the Bichi Division of the Kano State High Court on February 20, 2025, seeking to enforce his fundamental rights.
He asked the court to restrain both the ICPC and EFCC from arresting, intimidating, or prosecuting him, arguing that such actions violated his rights to dignity, liberty, and freedom of movement.
Counter affidavit
In a counter affidavit, the ICPC denied any rights violations, stressing that Rogo was merely invited to respond to allegations of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering, matters within its statutory mandate.
The agency argued that constitutional rights to liberty do not preclude lawful arrest or questioning where crimes are suspected, urging the court to dismiss the application as an attempt to obstruct its investigation.
“The transaction leading to the invitation of the applicant (Rogo) borders on the allegation of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering, among others and therefore within its statutory mandate,” the ICPC stated.
Controversial judgment
Although the application was argued on May 29, 2025, The ICIR gathered that the judgment which was initially slated for July 28, was not ready. It was later fixed for August 18, within the annual vacation.
On August 18 2025, Ahmad of the Kano High Court ruled in favour of Rogo. He declared the ICPC’s invitation as a breach of Rogo’s fundamental rights and restrained the commission from further investigating activities as it relates to the applicant.
Although, he acknowledged that his rights had not yet been violated, the judge held that there was a likelihood of breach, given the overlapping invitations and threats of arrest.
The court declared ICPC’s invitation unlawful, and awarded him N2 million in costs against the anti-graft agencies.
The ICPC has vowed to appeal the judgment, accusing the court of shielding a powerful official from accountability.
Reacting to the judgment, the spokesperson for the ICPC, Demola Bakare, said it would head for appeal, insisting that it has the statutory mandate under the enabling law to carry out such investigation.
“We heard of the ruling and are awaiting a Certified True Copy (CTC). I can assure you that we are acting within our statutory mandate and shall proceed to file our appeal as soon as we get the CTC of the ruling,” Bakare said.
Fidelis Mac-Leva is the Deputy Editor of The ICIR/Head of Investigation. He has previously worked with several media outfits in Nigeria, including DAILY TIMES and DAILY TRUST. A compellingly readable Features writer, his forte is Public Interest Journalism which enables him to "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comforted..." He can be reached via fmacleva@icirnigeria.org, @FidelisLeva on X