Justice Mikhail Abdullahi of the Minna High Court has sentenced a former staff member of the National Examinations Council (NECO), Abdulwahab Sule, to 25 years in prison for securing employment using a forged diploma certificate.
Sule was prosecuted by the Niger State office of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) after being accused of forgery and dishonest use of false documents.
Court records showed that he obtained his NECO job in 2009 with a fake diploma allegedly issued by the Federal University of Technology, Yola, Adamawa State. He was arraigned on February 28, 2023, on three counts including using a forged document as genuine and making false statements.
According to ICPC counsel Eghiwere Shadrach-Osiaje, the offences violated Sections 366 and 364 of the Penal Code, along with provisions of Niger State laws and Section 25(1)(a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
Sule was earlier dismissed from NECO in 2020 after a verification committee confirmed that his academic qualification was fake.
Delivering judgment, Justice Abdullahi found him guilty on all charges and sentenced him to 10, five, and two years respectively, with no option of fine. The sentences will run concurrently.