By Felix Khanoba
No fewer than four students of University of Abuja (UniAbuja) are set to be arraigned before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Magistrate Court, Wuse Zone 2, for allegedly using forged certificates of the National Examination Council (NECO) to gain admission into the institution.
The Court’s First Information Report (FIR) sighted by newsmen in Abuja on Monday listed the suspects as Effiong Theresa, Solomon Victor, Abdulkabir Mohammad and Yakubu Joy.
A one-count charge of forgery contrary to Section 364 of the Penal Code preferred against the students by the police read as follows : “On the 18 October, 2019, the registrar of the University of Abuja laid a complaint to the AIG Zone 7 headquarters Abuja for investigation.
“It revealed that you Effiong Theresa Etim with June 2017 NECO SSC no 501569013, Solomon Victor June 2017 NECO SSC no: 10506512111, Abdulkabir Mohammad with June 2012 NECO SSC no: 105016543 and Yakubu Joy Adama with June 2016 NECO SSC no:597472720.
“That these certificates upon which you gained admission or sought admission into University of Abuja are forged certificates. you are thereby suspected to have committed the above offence.”
The AUTHORITY gathered that the move by NECO to drag the suspects to court is part of a larger plan to begin a massive clampdown on individuals using fake certificates across the country.
The exam body had within the last three months dismissed 89 of its staff members for using fake certificates.
It was further gathered that about nine students of the UniAbuja have so far been arrested over the alleged forgery of NECO certificates but the remaining five were still under investigation.
