According to the anti-graft agency, the alleged offences were committed while Bichi served as Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Dutsinma.
The Kano Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday, February 5, 2026, arraigned a former Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina State, Prof Armaya’u Hamisu Bichi, over an alleged N19.7million bribery scheme.
Bichi was arraigned before Honourable Justice Musa Danladi Abubakar of the Katsina State High Court on a five-count charge bordering on bribery “to the tune of N19,700,000 (Nineteen Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Naira only).”
He was docked alongside two other defendants, Lawal Tukur Mani and Aliyu Lawal Jari, whom the EFCC alleged were used as conduits to receive the illicit payments.
According to the anti-graft agency, the alleged offences were committed while Bichi served as Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Dutsinma.
The prosecution alleged that the former Vice Chancellor received kickbacks from contractors as inducement for the award of contracts within the institution.
One of the charges read in court stated: “That you Armaya’u Hamisu Bichi sometimes in July 2023 at Katsina within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, while being a public servant; Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Dutsinma did obtain a bribe in the sum of N5,000,000.00 (Five Million Naira only) from one Theophilus Ilechukwu of Goezek International Agency Nigeria Limited as a reward for the award of contracts for the supply of medical equipment and furnishing of Laboratory at the Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina State.”
The charge further alleged that the money was not paid directly to Bichi but routed through a third party. It stated that the sum was “paid into the Access Bank account number 152610172 belonging to Aliyu Lawal Jari,” an action which the EFCC said constituted an offence punishable under “Section 79 (a), (b) & (i) of the Penal Code Law of Katsina State, 2021.”
The prosecution maintained that the N5 million transaction formed part of a broader scheme in which Bichi allegedly received bribes totalling N19.7 million through the second and third defendants.
The EFCC alleged that “the first defendant, Bichi, obtained the bribes through the second and third defendants from the petitioners as a kickback for various contracts awarded to them by the Federal University Dutsinma during his tenure as Vice Chancellor of the institution.”
When the charges were read to the defendants, all three pleaded not guilty.
Following their pleas, counsel to the prosecution, Salihu Sani, urged the court to fix a date for trial to enable the EFCC “assemble witnesses and prove its case.”
In response, defence counsel A. L. Yusuf, who appeared for one of the defendants, and Raphael Henry, who represented another, each moved separate bail applications, praying the court to admit their clients to bail pending trial.
After listening to arguments from both sides, Justice Musa Danladi Abubakar granted bail to each of the defendants in the sum of N5,000,000 (Five Million Naira) with one surety in like sum.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter to March 12, 2026, for the commencement of trial.
The EFCC has reiterated its commitment to prosecuting public officials accused of corruption and financial crimes, particularly those involving the abuse of public office for personal gain.