EXCLUSIVE: CAC Registrar-General Magaji Reportedly Bought $200,000 Morocco Home For Short-Lived Marriage As Two Weddings Crash In A Year

The Registrar-General and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Ishaq Hussaini Magaji (SAN), has faced allegations of controversial marital arrangements, property disputes, and abuse of power, following two marriages that reportedly collapsed within months of his assuming office. 

Multiple sources familiar with the matter told SaharaReporters that Magaji allegedly purchased a $200,000 house in Morocco to fulfil wedding rites with a Moroccan woman identified as Assia Hay Mohammadi, of Hay Mohammadi, Ain Sebaa, Casablanca.

The marriage, according to the sources, lasted barely two months before collapsing.

Following the breakdown of the Moroccan marriage, Magaji allegedly returned to Nigeria and married a Nigerian woman, Maryam Abiso Abubakar (also known as Shuwa). That marriage, sources said, lasted about three months before it also ended abruptly.

According to sources, the marriages occurred within roughly one year and shortly after Magaji became Registrar-General of the CAC.

Property Dispute In Morocco

Sources told SaharaReporters that the Moroccan wife is now claiming ownership of the Morocco house, which was allegedly registered in both their names. The dispute, sources say, has intensified because Moroccan law reportedly requires a wife’s consent before a man can take another wife.

According to one source, Magaji’s decision to marry another woman in Nigeria without informing or obtaining the consent of his Moroccan wife is the basis upon which she left him and initiated legal steps to assert ownership of the property.

“In Morocco, if you want to marry another wife, the first wife must consent. Because he went ahead and married in Nigeria secretly, he now stands to lose the house,” the source said.

Lavish Nigerian Wedding, Sudden Collapse

Sources further alleged that Magaji spent over $300,000 on the Nigerian wedding, including luxury wedding boxes, gold jewellery reportedly sourced from Dubai, and a Mercedes-Benz vehicle.

Despite the lavish spending, the marriage reportedly collapsed when Magaji allegedly failed to meet financial and lifestyle commitments he had promised.

Family sources told SaharaReporters that Maryam was later taken away from the marriage under claims that she was mentally unwell, an allegation insiders insist was false and used as a pretext to end the union.

Alleged Use Of State Power And Intimidation

In a more disturbing allegation, sources accused the CAC boss of attempting to control and confine the Nigerian wife, preventing her from going out freely.

Maryam, a graduate of Baze University, Abuja, reportedly initially resisted the marriage. At one point, sources said, she fled to Lagos to stay with her sister in a bid to avoid the wedding.

However, sources alleged that Magaji used security and anti-corruption institutions to track her location.

“He was bragging that he would find her. He said the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) boss and ICPC (Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission) are his friends, that he is a board member of EFCC and a personal friend of the EFCC chairman,” one source claimed.

According to the source, she was eventually located in Lagos, brought back by family members, and the wedding was hurriedly arranged.

A video of the wedding obtained by SaharaReporters shows a lavish ceremony, though sources insist that the bride appeared visibly unhappy throughout the event.

Sources also accused Magaji of betraying individuals who allegedly helped him secure the powerful CAC position, describing him as “greedy” and “ungrateful.”

“Even those who helped him get the office, he betrayed them without regret,” a source alleged.

Document Confirms Moroccan Marriage Plans

Meanwhile, SaharaReporters obtained an official document dated January 9, 2024, signed by Kabir Kabo Usman, Director-General of the International Centre for Islamic Culture & Education, and addressed to the Chargé d’Affaires, Nigerian Embassy in Morocco.

The document, titled “Confirmation of Religious Affiliation for Marriage Documentation – Mr. Ishaq Magaji Hussaini SAN,” confirms that Magaji is a Sunni Muslim and states that the confirmation was issued to support documentation for his upcoming marriage to a Moroccan national.

The letter described Magaji as Registrar-General/CEO of the Corporate Affairs Commission, further tying his official position to the marriage process in Morocco.

It read, "I am writing to confirm that Mr. Ishaq Magaji Hussaini SAN, Registrar General/CEO of the Corporate Affairs Commission in Nigeria, adheres to the Islamic faith as a Sunni Muslim.

"This confirmation is in response to Mr. Magaji's request for the necessary documentation related to his upcoming marriage to a Moroccan national. We acknowledge the sensitivity of such matters and assure you that this information will be handled with the utmost confidentiality.

"Your prompt attention to this matter is highly appreciated. Should you require any further information or clarification, please feel free to contact our office.”

SaharaReporters previously reported that fresh allegations had emerged surrounding the conduct of Magaji over claims that he quietly lifted a court-ordered restriction placed on corporate filings linked to OML 40.

The OML 40 is an oil-producing asset connected to billionaire businessman, Emeka Offor.

Sources said that Lagaji lifted the court restriction without public explanation, shortly after assuming office.

Multiple sources familiar with the matter told SaharaReporters that the restriction, imposed in 2023 following internal corporate disputes, which prevented one of the companies connected to OML 40 from effecting board changes and passing corporate resolutions at the CAC.

The restriction reportedly remained in force until a change in the Commission’s leadership.

Soon after Magaji’s appointment as Registrar-General, the restriction was lifted, without any public notice, procedural report, or explanation from the Commission.

The quiet reversal, sources say, coincided with sensitive transactions involving Seplat Energy Plc and Starcrest Nigeria Energy Limited, companies linked through a joint venture structure controlling OML 40.

According to senior officials at the CAC who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, OML 40 is operated through Elcrest Exploration and Production Company Limited, a joint venture involving interests linked to Sir Emeka Offor and Seplat Energy.

One top source explained that Elcrest holds a 45 per cent stake in OML 40, while the remaining 55 per cent is owned by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

Another source clarified the internal ownership of Elcrest itself: Starcrest Nigeria Energy Limited, a member of the Chrome Group owned by Emeka Offor, allegedly controls 55 per cent of Elcrest, while Seplat, through its subsidiary Eland Oil and Gas Limited, acquired in 2019, owns the remaining 45 per cent.

“Starcrest does not directly own shares in Seplat Energy Plc,” a CAC source said.

“But Starcrest holds a majority interest in Elcrest, which is the joint venture vehicle where Seplat also has an interest. That is how both companies are connected through OML 40.”

Sources told SaharaReporters that in May 2023, Seplat’s management was suspended and its corporate file blocked at the CAC following a court order arising from internal shareholder disputes.

The restriction reportedly barred the company from making board changes or filing key resolutions, an action that, according to insiders, was strictly enforced by the former Registrar-General.

"It was Seplat company that was put on caveat at the CAC. They did all they could under the former RG but he refused since there was a court order. But the moment Ishaq was appointed as RG, he immediately cut a deal with them," a source said.

However, the situation changed after Magaji assumed office.

Several sources allege that shortly after his appointment, members of the suspended Seplat management team, led by the company’s chairman and chief executive officer, paid a visit to the new Registrar-General.