The Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, North-west Nigeria has denied shielding a fake certificate syndicate, insisting that the reputation and integrity of all its certificates are highly protected.
Director, Public Affairs Directorate of the university, Malam Auwal Umar, in a statement issued to Vanguard on Friday night ,said the ABU was of .the belief that a running story by the US based online media was in bad taste as no attempt was made to contact the institution for its own comments before publishing a story that one Shafa’atu Abdullahi was issued an ABU certificate, when actually she was withdrawn.
According to Malam Umar,” the attention of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria has been drawn to another one- sided news item published again ……that “ABU Management Shields Fake Certificate Syndicate ,Sends False Records to NYSC.”
This was a follow -up to a one -sided story the online media first published a month ago that a syndicate in the university had been issuing fake degree certificates to fraudulent students, an allegation that the institution had since dismissed as untrue.”
“The university reiterates that the person ,(Shafa’atu Abdullahi- U 15PY 2014)purported to have been issued a certificate is actually a withdrawn student .It should be noted that Ahmadu Bello University does not ignore such a weighty allegation in line with ensuring that its very high reputation and the highly respected integrity of its certificates are protected,” he said
He explained that ABU’s Career Office, a unit responsible for students’ mobilization for the NYSC scheme, had confirmed that Shafa’atu Abdullahi was not mobilized for the one- year mandatory National Youth Service as claimed by the online media.