By Soni Daniel
Abuja – An Enugu Federal High Court was stunned on Friday with a startling revelation by an operative of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Mr. Chidi Orji, that the ‘vice chancellor and promoter’ of an unlicensed university in the state has no qualification than an ordinary General Certificate of Education, GCE.

Acting Chairman, ICPC Alhaji Bako Abdullahi

Testifying at the ongoing trial of the proprietor of ‘Richmond Open University Ltd Enugu’, Mazi Chris Okoro, before Justice A. M. Liman, Mr. Orji stated that investigation undertaken by the commission revealed that the suspect was also the Proprietor, Vice Chancellor, Registrar and Academic Director of the fake university.

According to the prosecution, the suspect reportedly acquired the ‘school certificate’ from a commercial secondary school in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, and had never visited the four walls of any higher institution.

The witness further told the court that Okoro was solely responsible for awarding academic degrees and certificates to “unsuspecting members of the public” who had been made to falsely believe that a judgment delivered by the then Federal High Court Judge in Enugu, Justice Allagoa, in suit no FHC/EN/CS/76/2006 between one Ifeanyichukwu Okonkwo and the National Universities Commission had granted the Richmond Open University “a decree to operate freely” as a medium for dissemination of knowledge pursuant to S. 39 of the 1999 Constitution without recourse to the National Universities Commission(NUC) for accreditation of its academic programmes and thereby pay money to enrol in the university.

Led in evidence by ICPC’s prosecution counsel, Ebenezer Shogunle, the witness further revealed that Richmond Open University did not have a Senate, Council or Academic Board like conventional universities and that Mazi Okoro took on the title of “Professor” without any formal training or publications to his name simply because people called him that.

The witness tendered copies of academic prospectus, certificates, and financial records of fees paid by students undergoing various undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Criminology and Accounting which were recovered from the school premises at No. 31, Zik’s Avenue, Enugu, following a warrant​issued by Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal High Court, Abuja to facilitate a nationwide crackdown on 67 operators of illegal degree-awarding institutions by ICPC and NUC in 2013.

The suspect is being prosecuted by the Commission in Charge No. FHC/EN/CR/87/2013 for false assumption of authority contrary to Section 107 of the Criminal Code and obtaining money under false pretences contrary to Section 8 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006

The case was further adjourned to 21/3/2018 for continuation of hearing.