CIPMN Hails Crackdown On FCDA Official Over Impersonation

The Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (CIPMN) has welcomed the arrest of Mr. Jamilu Isa Yankwashi, a senior official of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), describing it as a “long overdue step toward accountability” following years of alleged impersonation and fraud.

Registrar of CIPMN, Henry Ifeanyi Mbadiwe, said Yankwashi’s arrest marks a major milestone in the institute’s effort to protect its integrity from what he called “brazen criminal activity carried out under the guise of authority.”

“Jamilu Isa Yankwashi has for years impersonated the office of the CIPMN president and has collected public funds under false pretenses,” Mbadiwe said in an interview.

“He has claimed the authority to issue licenses, host events, and conduct training despite a Presidential Order that dissolved the former council. He holds no legal authority whatsoever.”

Yankwashi was arrested by officers from the Inspector General of Police’s office at the FCDA Secretariat’s third-floor conference hall in Area 11, Abuja. A warrant issued by the Chief Magistrate Court I, Karu, on May 23, 2025, accused him of criminal conspiracy and impersonation.

According to Mbadiwe, the suspect was caught organising a five-day training and induction event in the name of CIPMN, a programme the institute said it did not sanction. He further alleged that Yankwashi operated a Zenith Bank account fraudulently bearing the institute’s name to collect payments from government agencies and participants.

“He has made false statements to the police and deceived the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment into believing he has a legitimate claim to the institute’s leadership,” the registrar said. “He has also penetrated the offices of the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Minister of Defence, and the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement to give false credibility to his claims.”

Mbadiwe linked Yankwashi to Victoria Okoronkwo, the former chairman of the now-dissolved CIPMN council, saying both had continued to parade themselves as officials of the institute despite the council’s dissolution by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“This arrest sends a strong message: no one, regardless of position or connections, is above the law,” he said. “Federal institutions like CIPMN are not personal property, and the era of using nepotism and deceit to undermine them must end.”

Mbadiwe urged the Inspector General of Police to pursue the case to its conclusion to restore public confidence in federal regulatory institutions.

“The Institute urges the IGP to shield the police force from further embarrassment by ensuring that this case is not swept under the carpet. The Nigerian public deserves justice and protection from such abuse of office,” he said.

Yankwashi remains in custody at Force Headquarters in Abuja. As of press time, the Nigeria Police Force has not issued a formal statement regarding the arrest.