During an appearance on the Politics Today program, Education Minister Tahir Mamman emphasized that security agents are set to actively pursue and apprehend individuals of Nigerian nationality who are discovered to be in possession of counterfeit certificates obtained from foreign countries.
These individuals have allegedly utilized such fraudulent credentials to secure various opportunities within the nation.
The Minister underscored the importance of addressing this issue to maintain the integrity of educational qualifications and opportunities within the country.
He firmly asserted that these individuals should be considered criminals, not victims, expressing no sympathy towards them.
Mamman emphasized the need to investigate institutions and operators that have been active in the last decade, aiming to identify records of Nigerians who attended these establishments.
“If along the line, we can trace that there are people already in the system. For instance, if a particular institution or operator has been operating, say in the last 10 years, we will check if we can get records of Nigerians who attended that institution.”
He asserted that once such connections are established, these individuals will be deemed criminals, with no limitation on the timeframe for criminality.
Mamman assured that security agencies would take action against these offenders, highlighting the collaborative effort to track and apprehend them.
Furthermore, Mamman disclosed the government’s intention to broaden its scrutiny of degree certificates, extending the suspension to include countries such as Uganda, Kenya, and the Niger Republic.
He emphasized the government’s commitment to expanding its investigation beyond Benin and Togo, intending to cast a wider net to encompass other nations where fraudulent institutions may have been established.
“We are not going to stop at just Benin and Togo. We are going to extend the dragnet to countries like Uganda, Kenya, even Niger here where such institutions have been set up.”
