By Uriel Ihotu
Abuja, The Nigeria Police Force has arrested Mr. Jamilu Isa Yankwashi, a senior official of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), for alleged criminal conspiracy and impersonation of the President of the Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (CIPMN), Chief Emmanuel Olabode.
The arrest, carried out by officers from the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), took place early Monday at the FCDA Secretariat’s 3rd-floor conference hall in Area 11, Abuja. A warrant of arrest, numbered CR/392/25 and issued by the Chief Magistrate Court 1 in Karu, Abuja, authorized his apprehension.
The warrant reads:
“Whereas Jamilu Yankwashi of FCT Abuja stands charged with the offence of criminal conspiracy and impersonation, you are hereby directed to arrest the said Jamilu Yankwashi…” Dated 23rd May 2025.
Confirming the arrest, Mr. Henry Ifeanyi Mbadiwe, the Registrar General of CIPMN, stated:
“Jamilu was arrested at the FCDA hall while attempting to commence a five-day training and induction program for purported CIPMN members. The training was scarcely attended. His arrest follows a formal complaint and investigation into his illegal activities.”
According to Mbadiwe, Yankwashi has for years falsely paraded himself as the President of CIPMN, fraudulently collecting public funds and issuing fake licenses under the institute’s name.
“He has impersonated the institute’s leadership, misled several government institutions, and diverted funds into a Zenith Bank account operated under a limited liability company bearing the CIPMN name but unrecognized by the council,” Mbadiwe added.
Yankwashi, alongside Mrs. Victoria Okoronkwo, a former chairman of the council dissolved during President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, allegedly continued to pose as officers of CIPMN despite the dissolution and subsequent appointment of a new leadership by presidential directive.
The Registrar further revealed that Yankwashi had gained access to several high-profile offices, including the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Minister of Defence, and the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, under false pretenses.
“He has repeatedly defied the presidential directive that established the current council of the Institute and has actively sought to discredit and disrupt the activities of the legitimate governing body,” Mbadiwe said.
CIPMN has urged the Nigeria Police Force and the IGP to ensure that due legal processes are followed and that the case is pursued to a logical conclusion to serve as a deterrent to others.
“This arrest is a clear message that impunity has limits. The law, though slow at times, always catches up with those who attempt to subvert it,” Mbadiwe concluded.
