A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has sentenced a retired Deputy Director of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Dare Adebowale Oladapo, to two years’ imprisonment for falsifying his age and fraudulently collecting salaries after his lawful retirement.
In a statement on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Demola Bakare, said the judgment was delivered on October 7, 2025, by Justice Ibrahim Yusuf.
Bakare explained that Oladapo was found guilty on two counts of age falsification and corrupt self-enrichment, contrary to Sections 25(1)(a) and 25(1)(b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
According to the ICPC, an investigation followed a petition by an Ilorin-based lawyer, F. F. Ikebundu, which revealed that Oladapo altered his official records, changing his date of birth from November 11, 1959, to November 11, 1964, in order to unlawfully extend his service years.
Prosecutors Kalu Ugbo and Zainab Moshood told the court that the convict illegally received ₦1,233,258.95 in salaries and allowances between December 2019 and April 2020—four months after he should have retired.
Justice Yusuf sentenced Oladapo to two years in prison with an option of ₦100,000 fine on each of the two counts. The court also ordered him to refund the ₦1.23 million illegally earned.
Bakare confirmed that the convict had fully complied, paying both the ₦200,000 fine and the ₦1.23 million refund into the ICPC Recovery Account.
He reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to promoting integrity, transparency, and accountability in the public service.
Background
Cases of age falsification and service extension have continued to attract scrutiny in Nigeria’s public sector.
In June 2022, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, disclosed that several civil servants were caught falsifying their ages, with their salaries suspended through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
She also revealed that over 70,000 ghost workers had been uncovered through the system.
Similarly, in January 2021, the Nigeria Police Force investigated three senior National Assembly staff for allegedly altering their birth records to delay retirement.
