Justice Mikhail Abdullahi of the Minna High Court has sentenced Abdulwahab Sule, a former staff member of the National Examinations Council (NECO), to 25 years imprisonment for certificate forgery.

Sule was convicted on April 21, 2026, after being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on a three-count charge related to using a forged diploma certificate to secure employment.

Sule, who was dismissed from NECO in 2020 following the discovery of irregularities in his credentials, was found guilty on a three-count charge of dishonestly using a forged document as genuine, possession of a forged document, and making false statements.

Investigations by the ICPC revealed that the convict fraudulently used a forged Diploma certificate purportedly issued by the Federal University of Technology, Yola (now Modibbo Adama University, Yola) to secure employment with NECO in January 2009, where he remained until his dismissal in September 2020.

Further findings showed that the certificate, dated March 18, 2008, did not emanate from the institution, as confirmed by the university during verification.

The Commission also established that the convict had not completed his studies and still had outstanding courses at the time he claimed to have graduated.

In addition, Mr Sule was found to have knowingly made false representations to NECO’s Director of Human Resource Management in August 2020, falsely claiming that he had obtained the Diploma certificate.

During ICPC’s investigation, the convict admitted that he did not complete his studies and disclosed that he paid the sum of N30,000 to procure the forged certificate from an individual.

Upon conviction, the Court sentenced him to twelve (12) years imprisonment on Count One, ten (10) years on Count Two, and two (2) years on Count Three. The sentences are to run concurrently, meaning he will effectively spend twelve (12) years in prison.

The ICPC reiterates its commitment to sanitising public institutions and warns that individuals who engage in forgery, falsification of records, and other corrupt practices will be brought to justice.

The Commission also urges organisations to sustain regular verification of staff credentials to prevent similar occurrences and strengthen institutional integrity.

President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a new campus of the Nigeria Police Academy in Erinja, Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State, alongside a special take-off grant of N15bn to fund the facility’s development.

A statement signed on Monday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the approval fulfils the provisions of the Nigeria Police Academy (Establishment) Act, 2021, which empowers the institution to operate as a multi-campus university across the country.

According to the statement, the ₦15 billion intervention fund will be sourced from the 2026 allocation of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and will finance priority infrastructure, academic facilities, student accommodation, and essential training assets for the new campus.

The decision to site the academy in Erinja followed a high-level consultative meeting involving the Minister of Police Affairs, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, officials of the Federal Ministry of Education, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC).

Deliberations at the meeting focused on critical considerations, including student intake capacity, funding sustainability, academic quality assurance, and the long-term manpower needs of the Nigeria Police Force, which is currently expanding its recruitment.

President Tinubu said that establishing additional campuses for the Police Academy is aimed at strengthening institutional governance, enhancing modern policing education, and bolstering national security.

“The intervention fund will be sourced from the TetFund 2026 allocation to finance priority infrastructure, academic facilities, student accommodation, and core training assets.

“A high-level consultative meeting involving the Minister of Police Affairs, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, officials of the Federal Ministry of Education, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) recommended the siting of the new campus in Erinja.

“The meeting considered student intake capacity, funding realities, academic quality assurance, and the long-term needs of the Nigerian Police Force, which is currently recruiting more men.

“President Tinubu believes the expansion will strengthen institutional governance, modern policing education, and national security”, the statement said.

The Nigeria Police Academy, with its main campus in Wudil, Kano State, is a degree-awarding institution responsible for training officers of the Nigeria Police Force as part of ongoing efforts to improve professionalism and operational capacity within the country’s internal security framework.

In light of the Kwara State Government’s fresh prosecution of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and his successor over the Offa robbery, fresh facts have emerged on why the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mr. E. U. (Etsu Umar) Mohammed gave the duo a clean bill of health.

The Federal Director of Public Prosecutions cleared former Senate President Bukola Saraki of involvement in the Offa bank robbery in 2018, citing no evidence of a connection.

It was gathered that the DPP reviewed a 16-page police report prepared and signed by Abba Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police and then head of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IGP-IRT) at Force Headquarters, Abuja. The report detailed investigations into the April 5, 2018, multiple bank robbery attack in Offa, Kwara State.

The DPP in his first report dated June 22, 2018 and signed on behalf of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, prepared a five page legal advice in which he noted in paragraph 5 (f) that “for the Senate President (Saraki) and the Kwara State Governor (Ahmed), his office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged offence and the suspects. Hence, it is our advice that further and thorough investigation in this regard be carried out”.

Following the submission of a second report by the police investigating team to his office on July 27, 2018, the DPP prepared a second legal advice, which was dated August 23, 2018. The three-page legal advice also has only three paragraphs.

In paragraph 3 (vi), he noted that “with regards to the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, since there is no departure from the earlier findings in the interim report, this office is still unable to establish any prima facie case against him for any offences of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and culpable homicide punishable with death”.

Both legal advices had recommended six people for prosecution. They are: Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Ibrahim, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran, and Michael Adiukwu.

One of the suspects, Michael Adiukwu, later died in police custody, while the other five had since been tried at the High Court in Ilorin.

During the trial, the suspects revealed how they were coerced into incriminating Senator Bukola Saraki.

They mentioned several inducements dangled before them, including money and the promise of a visa to travel out of the country.

The suspects have since been convicted and their convictions confirmed by the Court of Appeal. The matter is now pending before the apex court, the Supreme Court of Nigeria.