The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) on Wednesday arraigned a former Deputy Director of Public Health at the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Michael Adeyemi, along with a procurement officer, Ibrahim Sule, before Justice Emmanuel Okonkwo of the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The two officials were charged with three counts of financial misappropriation and diversion of public funds totaling $2,534,000, which had been allocated for the procurement of medical supplies between April 2018 and December 2019.
According to a statement by NACC’s Head of Media and Public Affairs, Linda Okafor, the alleged offense violates Section 19 of the Financial Crimes and Public Integrity Act, 2005.
Okafor stated that the funds were intended for purchasing life-saving medical equipment for government hospitals but were allegedly diverted for personal enrichment.
One of the charges reads:
“That you, Dr. Michael Adeyemi, while serving as Deputy Director of Public Health at the Federal Ministry of Health, and Ibrahim Sule, while serving as Procurement Officer at the same ministry, between April 15, 2018, and November 5, 2019, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, abused your office by diverting the sum of $1,050,000 for personal gain instead of utilizing it for the purchase of critical hospital equipment, thereby committing an offense punishable under Section 19 of the Financial Crimes and Public Integrity Act, 2005.”
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following their plea, the lead prosecutor, Daniel Ugwu, requested a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendants in a federal detention facility. However, defense attorneys, S.T. Balogun and M.A. Yusuf, requested a short adjournment to allow them to file bail applications, while also asking for the defendants to be held in NACC custody pending the hearing.
Justice Okonkwo adjourned the matter to April 10, 2025, for the bail application hearing and ordered the defendants to be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Facility.
In a separate but related case, NACC also charged Dr. Michael Adeyemi with an additional three-count indictment for allegedly diverting an additional $650,000 meant for hospital renovations.
One of the charges states:
“That you, Dr. Michael Adeyemi, while serving as Deputy Director of Public Health at the Federal Ministry of Health, and in that capacity entrusted with public funds, between May 20, 2018, and January 14, 2020, in Lagos, fraudulently transferred $450,000 to a private company owned by an associate and received $80,000 in cash, which you converted for personal use, thereby committing a criminal breach of trust punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Law.”
Adeyemi also pleaded not guilty to the new charges.
Justice Okonkwo set April 10, 2025, for the bail hearing in both cases.
