The Digest:
The Cross River State Police Command has arrested Okoi Obono-Obla, a lawyer and former Senior Special Assistant to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, over allegations of forgery and fraudulent acquisition of admission and professional qualifications to enter the legal profession. Police spokesperson Eitokpah Sunday confirmed the arrest on Thursday, dismissing social media reports that he was kidnapped. The arrest followed a petition submitted to the Commissioner of Police alleging offences "bordering on forgery and obtaining admission or professional qualification/entry into the legal profession by false pretence." The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Calabar Branch, said it is monitoring the situation, with Chairperson Enome Amatey stressing that due process must be followed. Obono-Obla previously faced scrutiny in 2019 over his academic credentials and was arraigned by the ICPC in 2021 over alleged certificate forgery and N19.9 million fraud, to which he pleaded not guilty.
Key Points:
- The arrest revives longstanding allegations of certificate forgery against the former presidential aide.
- It tests the legal system's ability to resolve a decade-old controversy over qualifications.
- Obono-Obla faces potential prosecution, while NBA monitors due process.
- This signals continued scrutiny of public officials' academic credentials.
- The timing, with past ICPC charges unresolved, adds complexity.
Sources: Premium Times
