Police arrest proprietor operating ‘fake college’ in Niger

The Niger police command says it has arrested one Daniel Ishaya for operating an unauthorised college of health sciences in the Maikunkele area of Minna, the state capital.

Wasiu Abiodun, police spokesperson in the state, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

Abiodun said Daniel, from Shiroro LGA of Niger, was arrested alongside another suspect identified as Francis Ede, who was acting as the director of the school.

He said the suspect established the school, named Excellence College of Health Sciences and Technology, without authorisation in 2020 and started admitting students in 2021.

Abiodun said the suspect confessed to forging students’ registration certificates, adding that about 100 students have enrolled in the school and paid the sum of N78,000 each as tuition fee.

“On 08/09/2022 at about 1600hrs, based on intelligence received, Police operatives attached to Intelligence Unit of the Command arrested the following suspects: -Daniel Ishaya aged 23yrs ‘m’ of Gurmana, Shiroro (Proprietor) and Francis Ede aged 30yrs ‘m’ of Enugu State (Director),” the statement reads.

“The two persons were suspected of establishing and operating a fake school known as Excellence College of Health Sciences and Technology, located in Maikunkele area of Bosso LGA.

“During interrogation, Daniel Ishaya confessed that he established the School in the year 2020 while he commenced admission in the year 2021 without any authorization or certification from an appropriate government body.

“He confessed further that he forged a certificate of registration to deceive members of the public to register and gain admission into the school, in which about one hundred students had enrolled into the school at the rate of seventy-eight thousand naira each (N78,000) for tuition fees and other charges, while Francis Ede has been helping him to manage the school as the managing director with about twenty teachers.”

The police spokesperson said the case is being investigated and the suspects will be charged in court when the investigation is concluded.