The petitioners had also alleged that Ekpenyong fraudulently obtained salaries, allowances, and other financial benefits through his invented educational qualification.
In a letter dated May 24 2016, and titled “Investigation Activities Nse Bassey Ekpeyong Registration Number: 2009 NDE/3829/BA”, the EFCC requested the Registrar of the institution to confirm if Ekpeyong was a student of the institution. If he was, the agency demanded the certified true copies of his statement of result and certificate.
The anti-graft agency also requested the institution to confirm whether or not it issued the papers submitted by Ekpeyong.
Earlier, the ICPC had written to the Polytechnic demanding the same information.
In its letter dated 12 May and signed by Agha-Ibe, head of the agency’s Special Investigation Unit, the ICPC requested the Rector of the Polytechnic to ascertain Ekpeyong’s claims of studentship and graduation.
Responding to the enquiries, the Abia State Polytechnic, in a letter addressed to the office of the ICPC Chairman, stated that Ekpeyong was never a student of the institution.
Dated May 21, 2016, and signed by Dr. (Mrs.) Constance Evuline, acting Registrar, the letter read: “Having done a thorough search on our records, we write to confirm that the above named (Ekpeyong) was not a student in the Department of Business Administration of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, at any period at all. We also wish to attest that copies of the statement of result and certificate attached by him were not issued by the polytechnic.”
In response to the EFCC’s enquiry, via a letter dated June 62016, the Abia State Polytechnic similarly disowned Ekpeyong.
Signed by the acting Registrar, the letter added that the two persons, whose signatures appear on the certificate and statement of result submitted by Ekpeyong, had left the institution as 2011.
Ekpeyong’s invented certificate was signed in November 2012.
As part of its investigations into the scandal, the EFCC, in July 2016, arrested Ekpeyong, who was later released on bail.
Ekpeyong’s case is coming amid a controversy over the genuineness of the university certificate of a member of the Upper legislature, Senator Dino Melaye.
Melaye, a former member of the House of Representatives, from Kogi State, was accused of falsely claiming to have graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
But on Tuesday, ABU vice chancellor told the Senate Ethic Committee that from the available record, Melaye graduated from the school with a third class bachelors in Geography.
The Senate committee then cleared Melaye of wrongdoing, basing its decision on the VC’s testimony.
But the school’s position has been questioned, with some Nigerians demanding evidence beyond an oral testimony by the vice chancellor.
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