By Peace Udugba
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has convicted a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Onamusi Onadeko, in a corruption case brought by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), while also ruling that legislative aides qualify as public officers under the ICPC Act.
Delivering judgment on July 30, 2026, Justice Chizoba Oji found Onadeko guilty of making inconsistent statements during an ICPC investigation and sentenced him to nine months’ imprisonment with an option of a ₦50,000 fine.
Onadeko, who represented Ogun East Federal Constituency between 1999 and 2003, was arraigned by the ICPC in 2017 on an 11-count amended charge bordering on his alleged involvement in the award and execution of a ₦68.7 million constituency contract.
According to the Commission, while serving as a Senior Legislative Aide to the late Senator Buruji Kashamu, who represented Ogun East Senatorial District from 2015 to 2019, Onadeko used his private companies, Stanton Engineering Limited and Haines and Baines Limited, to execute constituency projects.
The projects reportedly included the procurement of ambulance vehicles, the supply of hospital equipment and drugs to primary health centres, and the construction of classrooms in six communities across Ogun East Senatorial District.
The ICPC argued 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 offices for personal benefit.
The Commission also accused Onadeko of making contradictory statements regarding his relationship with Haines and Baines Limited. It told the court that although he had declared himself a director of the company in an affidavit sworn on June 30, 2016, he later denied being a shareholder or director during an ICPC investigation in May 2017.
During the trial, the defence argued that Onadeko could not be prosecuted under the relevant provisions of the ICPC Act because his appointment as a legislative aide was temporary and non-pensionable, and therefore did not make him a public officer.
Justice Oji rejected the argument, relying on Onadeko’s appointment letter and the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Federal Government of Nigeria v. Farouk Lawan. The court held that legislative aides are public officers and can be prosecuted under the ICPC Act.
While the court convicted Onadeko on Count 11 for making inconsistent statements, it discharged and acquitted him on Counts 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
The judgment further clarified that Personal Assistants (PAs), Special Assistants (SAs), Senior Special Assistants (SSAs), Legislative Aides (LAs), Senior Legislative Aides (SLAs), and other similar appointees who receive salaries, allowances or other emoluments from public funds are public officers under the ICPC Act, regardless of whether their appointments are temporary, fixed-term or non-pensionable.
