Three people prosecuted for forging Governor Ugwuanyi's signature

The Enugu State Police Command has arrested three persons for alleged forgery of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s signature to secure employment at the State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH).

The state police spokesperson Ebere Amaraizu made the disclosure on Thursday in Enugu in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The statement said that the suspects, Gloria Onuoha, Roseline Onwuamaeze and Thomas Nwigwe, allegedly raised a letter purported to have emanated from the Office of the Governor with his signature.

The statement said that one Chijioke Nzegwu currently at large, facilitated the illegal deal for Gloria and Roseline having received a huge sum of money from them through Nwigwe.It added that the suspects used the letter to secure employment in the hospital as Accountant on Grade Level 7, Higher Executive Officer (HEO) on GL 8 as well as Chief Typist on CONTISS 8 step 13 respectively.

Amaraizu said that the suspects were assisting the police in their investigations.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to check corrupt practices in higher institutions.

A statement signed by Mrs Rasheedat Okoduwa, the commission`s spokesperson, on Thursday in Abuja, listed the corrupt practices to include indiscipline, examination malpractice, extortion and sexual harassment, among others.

Okoduwa said that the MOU was aimed at getting students involved in the anti-corruption campaign and to educate them on how to report corruption cases to ICPC for prosecution.

She said that the MOU would also encourage students and teachers to engage ICPC through its training arm, the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN) in research on corruption and related matters.

The commission’s Secretary, Mr. Elvis Oglafa, was quoted in the statement as saying that the commission was “looking at a bigger picture where institutions of higher learning can achieve 100 per cent discipline and zero tolerance for corruption’’.

“But with the signing of the MOU, a new door has been opened for the reporting of such vices.’’Oglafa, the statement added, stated that over the years, NANS had not provided any platform which could enable its members to report corrupt practices within the educational system.

He expressed optimism that since Nigerian students had demonstrated willingness to confront corruption, a new vista which had just been set, would cleanse the system of the debris of corruption in institutions.

“NANS President, Mr Tijani Usman, commended ICPC for the initiative and affirmed that Nigerian students were willing to fight corruption because they were always at the receiving end of its adverse effects.

“The MOU was signed on behalf of ICPC by the Secretary to the Commission and Usman, the head of the students’ delegation, on behalf of Nigerian students,’’ Okoduwa said in the statement.