The Nigeria Police Force, Federal Capital Territory Command is investigating Grace Ike of Advocates Broadcasting Network (ADBN), Ndambabo Yahaya of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Jide Oyekunle of Daily Independent Newspaper and Edeh Sandra Ogechukwu of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria FRCN over forgery of Post Graduate Diploma Certificate of the International Institute of Journalism, Abuja.
The aforementioned names are cleared candidates for the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Federal Capital Territory (FCT) election slated for December 4.
The candidates were cleared based on the alleged forged certificates of IIJ.
However some other aspirants for the election, Victorson Agberson, FRCN, Johnchuks Onuanyim, New Telegraph and a bonafide concerned member of the Union had petitioned Nigeria Police Force alleging forgery of the certificates.
While Edeh Sandra Ogechukwu presented a certificate, the other three presented statement of results of the Institution.
The petitioners alleged discrepancies in the certificate and statement of results bothering on dates of admission and graduation.
For instance, the school authority claimed that Grace Ike and Ndambabo Yahaya were admitted into the school in 2022 and graduated in 2023, the statement of results were issued to them respectively on June 28, 2024 and August 14, 2024.
However, some lecturers in the IIJ said that the duo of Grace Ike and Ndambabo Yahya were among those that wrote the Institute examination in October this year and are presently writing their projects.
•Victorson Agberson.
But dismissing the petition, the NUJ FCT Correspondents chapel accused the Police of interfering into the Council’s election.
In a statement signed by the Acting secretary, Ediri Oyibo, he said, “The Police invitation of our members particularly this time when the Council election is by the corner speaks volumes and leaves much to be desired on the script and interest the police is trying to serve.
“The Nigeria police should be remanded that this is a union election and they have no right to victimise, intimidate or coerce any of our members into silence under the pretext of a frivolous and malicious and allegations of character defamation by those who have lost their integrity in the union.”
In the Command response, the Abuja PPRO, SP Josephine Adeh dismissed the claimed of the NUJ FCT Correspondent chapel.
She said, “The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command wishes to address allegations circulating on social media suggesting that the Inspector General of Police is meddling in the upcoming Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT 2024 elections. These claims are false, and the Command is issuing this clarification to set the record straight.
“On November 25, 2024, a formal petition was submitted to the FCT Commissioner of Police by three individuals: Mr. Emeka Nze, Mr. Victorson Agbenson, and Mr. Johnchuks Onuanyim. The petition accused Miss Grace Ike, Miss Edeh Sandra Ogechukwu, Mr. Yahaya Ndambabo, and Mr. Jide Oyekunle Adeyemi of forging Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) certificates purportedly issued by the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ), Abuja.
“This petition highlighted specific discrepancies in the certificates presented by the accused individuals. The Command stresses that its involvement is strictly limited to investigating the allegations of forgery received via the written petition and has nothing to do with the NUJ elections in the FCT.
“As part of the investigation, the Command invited the individuals named in the petition for questioning to verify the allegations. This action is in line with its duty to uphold the rule of law, maintain order, and safeguard democratic processes.
“The Nigerian Police have no interest in or influence over the NUJ elections or their outcomes. Our responsibility is to ensure justice by thoroughly examining the claims based on the facts and evidence provided.
“We urge all parties involved to respect the integrity of the ongoing investigation and refrain from spreading baseless accusations that could erode public trust. In due time, the outcome of the investigation will be made known to enhance transparency.
“The Nigerian Police Force, under the leadership of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, remains a professional and impartial institution committed to its responsibilities.”
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