Suspected Impostors Arrested Over Vehicle Deal

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, has reportedly ordered the arrest of individuals accused of impersonating Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) officials to sell seized vehicles to the commission.

According to an investigation published by SaharaReporters on Friday, October 23, 2026, the individuals allegedly approached Aliyu at his residence and offered to sell vehicles said to have been seized by Customs.

Sources told the publication that the chairman arranged for the commission to make payments for the vehicles, but the sellers were later discovered to be impostors and arrested.

The ICPC had not publicly confirmed the reported arrests at the time of publication.

Payment Records Show Millions Disbursed

Documents reviewed by SaharaReporters reportedly show that the ICPC processed four vehicle-related payments in August 2024, totalling ₦31.6 million.

The payments were recorded as follows:

• ₦20 million: For three Toyota Hilux vehicles and two Toyota buses, according to a payment voucher dated August 15, 2024.
• ₦1.5 million: Described as 7.5 per cent value-added tax on the vehicle purchase, payable to the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
• ₦8 million: For one Toyota Hilux and one Toyota bus, with the payment made to an individual identified as Muhammed Ibrahim.
• ₦2.1 million: For fuelling seven vehicles reportedly auctioned to the commission, according to a voucher dated August 22, 2024.

The publication said the vouchers were charged to the commission’s intervention fund.

Questions Over Customs Account Details

The investigation also identified discrepancies in account details contained in documents presented as correspondence from the Nigeria Customs Service.

An internal ICPC memo dated August 7, 2024, reportedly recorded a query over the account information supplied for the transaction. The memo stated that Customs had been contacted and an amended letter subsequently forwarded.

A letter attributed to the NCS Department of Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation reportedly outlined the allocation of four Toyota Hilux vehicles and three buses, with some vehicles assigned through an allocation committee and others obtained through a public auction.

The documents also directed payments to different accounts, including accounts identified as belonging to the Customs Service and an individual described as an authorised auctioneer.

SaharaReporters reported that the sellers were subsequently identified as impostors, citing unnamed sources.

Vehicle Numbers Differ Across Documents

The investigation found inconsistencies in the number of vehicles referenced in the payment documents.

While one voucher and an NCS letter referred to three Toyota Hilux vehicles and two buses, another voucher described the fuelling of seven vehicles comprising four Hilux vehicles and three buses.

A separate ₦8 million voucher covered one Hilux and one bus.

The discrepancies raise questions about the precise number of vehicles involved and how the transaction was documented. The report did not establish that the inconsistencies themselves amounted to criminal wrongdoing by any named official.

ICPC Procurement Records Also Examined

SaharaReporters also reviewed documents relating to a separate contract for the remodelling of toilet facilities at the ICPC headquarters.

The records reportedly showed a payment of ₦302.1 million to M/s Galaxy Global Crystals Ltd against a contract sum of approximately ₦359.88 million.

Board minutes and handwritten notes referenced the use of intervention funds for the project and a response to an audit query involving another payment figure.

The report did not establish a direct connection between the toilet-remodelling contract and the alleged impersonation involving the vehicle purchases.

ICPC Yet to Respond

SaharaReporters said its attempts to obtain comments from ICPC Chairman Musa Adamu Aliyu and commission spokesperson John Okor Odey were unsuccessful.

The commission had not issued a public statement addressing the allegations at the time of the report.

The reported arrests, vehicle transaction and procurement discrepancies remain subject to official clarification and further investigation.