Fake degrees: Cotonou varsity to forfeit N10.7m, says ICPC

University degree certificate

Fake degrees: Cotonou varsity to forfeit N10.7m, says ICPC

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the interim forfeiture of N10.7m traced to the bank account of the Vice Chancellor of Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies [ESGT], Cotonou, Benin Republic, Togboui Gnadzo Soncy Koakli.

DAILY NIGERIA reports that ESGT is one of the leading universities selling fake degree certificates to Nigerians.

The suit was filed, following an undercover report by DAILY NIGERIA reporter Umar Audu exposing the booming business of certificate racketeering.

In January, ICPC chairman Musa Aliyu vowed to prosecute the perpetrators of the crime against the Nigerian education sector.

The presiding judge, Binta Nyako, gave the order on Monday following an ex-parte motion filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC through its lawyer, Aniekan Ekong.

The commission alleged that the money, found in account number 1007884857, domiciled in Zenith Bank, was the proceeds of degree racketeering.

Mr Ekong informed the court how the ICPC, acting on intelligence launched an investigation into alleged criminal conspiracy and degree racketeering involving Mr Koakli and his agents, the promoters of Access Institute of Advance Learning, AIAL, supposedly based in Kano, Mubarak Hamza Adam, and Abdullahi Shehu Yusuf as well as one Abdulrahma Hadi Badamosi of the Federal College of Education, Kano.

According to the prosecutor, the group was investigated for alleged involvement in issuing fake degrees to Nigerians for a fee.

He further explained to the court that the group usually carried out their nefarious activities, stressing that the agents of the group were to collect money from Nigerians desiring to procure a degree from ESGT and share it with Mr Koakli.

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The ICPC prosecutor explained that some of their victims paid in cash while others paid through bank transfers as tendered before the court.

In her ruling, Mrs Nyako granted the request made by the commission for the interim forfeiture of the N10.7m.

The court also granted an order directing the publication of the said preservation order in a widely circulating national newspaper, calling upon any interested party to show cause why the forfeiture should not be made.

In suit with no. FHC/ABJ/CS/615/2024, filed on May 8, the commission noted that the suit was brought pursuant to sections 9 and 10 of the Proceeds of Crime [Recovery and Management Act 2022].

The commission also filed an affidavit to support the application.

Parts of the prayers sought by the anti graft agency include:”An Order of this Honourable Court preserving to the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria the sum of N10, 775, 151.10 [Ten million, seven hundred and seventy-five thousand, one hundred and fifty-one Naira, ten kobo] standing to the credit of one Togboui Gnadzo Soncy Koakli in account number 1007884857 domiciled with Zenith Bank Plc reasonably suspected to have been derived from unlawful activities.

“An Order of this Honourable Court directing the publication of the said preservation order in a widely circulating national newspaper calling upon any interested party to show cause why a forfeiture order should not be made against the said sum of N10, 775, 151.10 [Ten Million, Seven Hundred and Seventy-FiveThousand, One Hundred and Fifty-One Naira. Ten Kobo] standing to the credit of one Togboui Gnadzo Soncy Koakli in account number 1007884857 domiciled with Zenith Bank Plc reasonably suspected to have been derived from unlawful activities.

“An Order of this Honourable Court directing that the said sum of N10, 775, 151.10 [Ten Million, Seven Hundred and Seventy-Five Thousand, One Hundred and Fifty-One Naira, Ten Kobo] standing to the credit of one Togboui Gnadzo Sorncy Koakli in account number 1007884857 domiciled with Zenith Bank Plc reasonably suspected to have been derived from unlawful activities be managed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) pending the forfeiture order of this court over said sum.

“Such further order[s] as this Honourable Court may deem fit to.”