The House of Representatives has ordered 10 years of security protection for investigative journalist Umar Audu, following his damning undercover report that exposed a thriving certificate racketeering syndicate operating through degree mills in the Benin Republic.
Audu’s investigation, which sparked nationwide outrage, detailed how he obtained a university degree from a foreign institution without attending classes — a certificate that was later verified and approved by Nigeria’s Ministry of Education for a fee of N40,000.
The scandal has since triggered a multi-committee investigation by the National Assembly, involving the Committees on University, Polytechnic Education, Interior, Foreign Affairs, and Youth Development.
Chairman of the Joint Committee, Rep. Abubakar Fulata, announced the House’s resolution on Monday, directing the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to provide round-the-clock protection for Audu over the next decade.
“We are grateful to Audu for his courage in exposing this dangerous syndicate. His safety is now a national priority,” Fulata declared. “We also urge the Minister of Interior to ensure Civil Defence actively supports the police in this effort.”
Appearing before the committee, Audu recounted the steps he took to purchase a fake degree, which he said was cleared by officials despite the glaring illegitimacy of the process.
The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, while reacting to the revelations, acknowledged the systemic failure and proposed the creation of an automated, centralised educational verification portal to curb certificate fraud.
“Although this did not happen under this administr.ation, we must act swiftly to ensure it never happens again,” Tunji-Ojo said. “An automated single-point verification system is non-negotiable going forward.”
Representing the Minister of Education, a director in the ministry, Mrs. Larai Ahmed, disclosed that the department responsible for certificate clearance had undergone a major restructuring.
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She assured lawmakers that additional safeguards were being introduced to close existing loopholes.
Also addressing the committee, the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, said the corps had ramped up its certificate verification process using biometric technology.
“We have introduced reforms to tighten our systems. Biometric verification is now in place to ensure only genuine certificates are accepted,” Nafiu stated.
The House Committee reiterated its commitment to seeing the investigation through to its conclusion and implementing far-reaching reforms aimed at protecting the credibility of Nigeria’s education and public service sectors.
The certificate-for-sale scandal has underscored longstanding concerns over academic fraud in Nigeria and abroad — and the growing threat it poses to national development and professional standards.
As the investigation deepens, public pressure mounts on regulatory bodies to ensure that those complicit in the fraudulent system are brought to justice.