Petitioner, Police Disagree Over Aiyedatiwa’s Certificate Probe

A legal practitioner, Oladotun Hassan, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Police Service Commission over the move by an alleged top-ranking officer to temper with the report of a probe into the academic credential of the Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

According to a report purportedly signed by the Deputy Commissioner Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abuja, DCP Tahir Usman, the police investigation into Aiyedatiwa’s O’level certificate concluded that there was no proof that the Ondo governor attended Ikoyi High School, Ikosi-Ketu, Lagos.

The document titled ‘RE: Case of Alleged Fraudulent Misrepresentation, Certificate Forgery, Examination Malpractice and Perjury,’ stated: “That there is no any proof to show that the suspect, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Ayedatiwa, attended Ikosi High School, Ikosi-Ketu, Lagos as a student.”

However, the police in a statement on Friday by the Force Spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the document did not originate from the force.

Adejobi said, “We wish to clarify that the said document did not originate from the Nigeria Police Force. The alleged signatory, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, does not have the authority to release such a report on behalf of the Force Criminal Investigation Department or any other such departments within the Nigeria Police Force.”

However, in a petition dated April 5, 2024, Oladotun, who claimed that his earlier petition led to the probe, maintained that the report was authentic, adding that he received a copy of the report through a Freedom of Information he filed.

The petitioner said, “We are constrained to bring to your attention the unwholesome act of D.I.G on an issue bordering on the certificate forgery, perjury, misrepresentation of facts brought to your exalted office on June 2, 2023, and after thorough investigation for which a police report was given to us upon request under the Freedom of Information Act, sometime on February 15, 2024.

“On April 5, 2024, we were inundated with a news report with ref. no. CZ. 5300/FPRD/FHQ/ABJ/VOL6/148 dated April 5, 2024, issued by ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters on behalf of the Nigeria Police Force.

“The true position is that our law firm, by petition, invited your exalted office to investigate a case of certificate forgery, perjury, and criminal misrepresentation against Mr. Lucky Ayedatiwa, which petition graciously approved for investigation.

“Based upon the said approval, your men led by DCP Tahir Usman swung into action and diligently investigated the matter and found it as a fact that the allegations are true. We thereafter made a formal request based on the spirit and letters of the Freedom of Information Act to the DIG, FCIB, Abuja, which request was granted and a copy of the police report was issued to us. “

Oladotun called for the intervention of the IG and the PSC to prevent the report of the investigation from being altered.

Oladotun said, “We have been reliably informed that a D.I.G. has confiscated the file and all other documents pertaining to the investigation to tamper with the earlier findings by cooking up a new police report favourable to Mr. Lucky Ayedatiwa.

“We, therefore, by this letter urge you to without delay set up the machinery to investigate this unwholesome act of the DIG. We are also inviting you, sir, to retrieve the case file from the DIG before he does any damage to the case file.“

When contacted, Adejobi said the police decision remained the same.

He said, “Our position on it stands, refer to our official press statement on it. Thanks.”