A former member of the House of Representatives, Onamusi Onadeko, has been convicted by a Federal Capital Territory High Court for making inconsistent statements in a corruption case instituted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The conviction, which followed an eight-year legal battle, was handed down on Thursday, July 30, 2026, by Justice Chizoba Oji, who sentenced the former lawmaker to nine months’ imprisonment with an option of a N50,000 fine.
The ICPC disclosed the outcome in a statement published on its official website, noting that Onadeko was found guilty on one count of making inconsistent statements, while the court discharged and acquitted him on several other counts contained in the amended 11-count charge.
Onadeko represented Ogun East Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003.
He was later appointed as a Senior Legislative Aide to the late Senator Buruji Kashamu, who represented Ogun East Senatorial District from 2015 to 2019.
According to the anti-graft agency, the former lawmaker was arraigned in 2017 over allegations linked to the award and execution of constituency contracts valued at N68.7 million during his tenure as a legislative aide.
The commission alleged that he used two private firms – Stanton Engineering Limited and Haines and Baines Limited – to execute the projects, which included the supply of ambulance vehicles, hospital equipment and drugs to primary healthcare centres, as well as the construction of classrooms in selected communities across Ogun East.
ICPC maintained that the arrangement violated Sections 12 and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, which prohibit public officers from using their positions for personal gain.
The commission also accused Onadeko of making contradictory statements concerning his relationship with Haines and Baines Limited.
It stated that while he declared in a sworn affidavit dated June 30, 2016, that he was a director of the company, he later told investigators on May 5, 2017, that he was neither a shareholder nor a director of the firm, an action said to contravene Section 25(1)(b) of the ICPC Act.
During the trial, defence counsel Wahab Olatoyebi argued that his client could not be prosecuted under the relevant provisions of the ICPC Act because his appointment as a Senior Legislative Aide was temporary, non-pensionable and did not make him a public officer.
Justice Oji rejected the argument, holding that legislative aides fall within the category of public officers and are therefore subject to prosecution under the anti-corruption law.
In reaching the decision, the judge relied on Onadeko’s letter of appointment and the Supreme Court’s judgment in the case of Federal Government of Nigeria v. Farouk Lawan.
While the court convicted Onadeko on Count 11 relating to inconsistent statements, it discharged and acquitted him on Counts 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
Following a plea for mercy by the defence, the court imposed a nine-month jail term with an option of paying a N50,000 fine.
Reacting to the judgment, the ICPC described the ruling as a significant affirmation that political appointees and legislative aides who receive salaries, allowances or other benefits from public funds are regarded as public officers under the ICPC Act.
The commission added that the decision also establishes that such status applies irrespective of whether the appointments are temporary, fixed-term or non-pensionable.
