The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Bauchi State Office, has threatened to incarcerate a Bauchi-based legal practitioner, Barrister Alkassim Mohammed, for granting interviews to WikkiTimes in a story that exposed how the Federal Government sold expired rice at “subsidised rates.” The lawyer also purchased the expired rice.
WikkiTimes exposed how expired and harmful bags of rice were sold to members of the public in what was meant to be a lifesaving intervention by the federal government.
The ICPC has reportedly invited the lawyer after he was quoted in the WikkiTimes report as one of the people who bought the expired rice at the sales.
According to Barrister Alkassim, the ICPC invited him, and after honouring the invitation, he was asked to return the expired rice he had purchased under the palliative programme for N40,000.
Alkassim noted that the 50kg bag of rice he received had a February 2022 production date and an expiry date of February 2025, which had already expired at the time of purchase.
He alleged that upon his arrival at the ICPC office on April 22, 2025, he was led to an interrogation room, where he was confronted by two ICPC officials, one of whom was identified as Sani Adamu.
Barrister Alkassim said he was asked to comment on a rice shown in a viral video by a social media blogger, Dan Bello. “I informed them I had never opened the rice to confirm its colour or contents, and I don’t know how Dan Bello accessed what he showed in the video. But they insisted that I should return the expired rice and get my money back. I refused.”
The refusal, according to him, triggered a heated exchange. During the altercation, Alkassim said his interrogators began filming him without his consent. Things escalated when he attempted to leave the ICPC premises.
“They blocked the gate and stationed armed police officers to prevent me from leaving. Two police officers holding guns approached me and barricaded me. One of the ICPC officials openly threatened to obtain a detention order against me and incarcerate me. He also declared he would write a damaging report about me.”
The lawyer also claimed the ICPC partly recorded his formal statement but failed to continue, instead focusing on trying to force a confession, aligning him with the viral video.
He alleged that distorting his full statement is tantamount to injustice and an attempt by the ICPC to cover up.
Meanwhile, sources confirmed that distribution was temporarily suspended following the report. However, officials reportedly resumed it after replacing some expired stock.
WikkiTimes reports that several Nigerians received the expired 50kg bags of Indian rice at N40,000 under a federal government initiative, despite obvious signs of expiry.
Food safety experts warned the rice could pose serious health risks, including food poisoning and aflatoxin exposure.
Mahdi Mohammed Lawal, the state Commissioner for ICPC, acknowledged inviting Alkasisim to their office in Bauchi, but he declined further comment on the alleged incarceration.
