Why Police Arraign Sen. Adeleke, Principal, Registrar, Teacher For Exam Malpractice

The police authority have accused Senator Ademola Adeleke, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 22 governorship election in Osun state, of fraudulent presenting himself as a student of Ojo/Aro Community Grammar School, Ojo, to write the June 2017 National Examination Council (NECO) exam.

Adeleke was arraigned alongside the Principal of the school, Alhaji Aregbesola Muftau, the Registrar of the school, Gbadamosi Ojo, a teacher in the school, Dare Samuel Olutope and one of his relatives, Sikiru Adeleke on a four-count charge of impersonation, exam malpractice and conspiracy.

The accused persons were arraigned before Justice I. E. Ekwo of an Abuja High Court on Wednesday.

According to the police, alleged offences contravene Sections 3(2), 9(1) and 10 of the Examination Malpractices Act Cap E15 LFN 2004.

To be qualified as an internal candidate for NECO in a school, it is required that a student must has three years continuous assessment ( SS1 to SS3) for the examination, a requirement that put a question mark on the eligibility of Adeleke to register for the 2017 NECO exam.

It was learnt that the Senator representing Osun West Senatorial District at the Senate ‎was 57 years old, when he registered in 2017, contrary to the age he declared for the NECO registration.

Adeleke reportedly registered for the examination wearing an attire mimicking the government’s ‎school uniforms to make him look like a bonafide uniform.

According to the fact of the case, the officials of Ojo-Aro Grammar School were accused of registering Adeleke and his brother as students in the school, when they ought to have known that they were not students of the school.

In the third count of the charge, the Adelekes were accused of parading themselves as students of the school after they had fraudulently registered themselves to partake in the examination in the school.

The police said it was ready to prosecute the accused persons for alleged impersonation, exam malpractice and conspiracy, with witnesses and evidences.

But Adeleke and other suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Defence counsels, Alex Izinyon, Nathaniel Oke and Abdulsalam Abdulfatah, pleaded with the court to release the accused persons on bail.

The defence counsels told the court that the suspects had been granted administrative bail by the prosecution and that they had not attempted to jump the bail.

Ruling on the bail application, Justice Ekwo released Adeleke on bail on self-recognizance, just as he granted bail to other suspects in the sum of N2 million each with two sureties and landed properties in Abuja.

Justice Ekwo ordered Adeleke to submit his international passport to the court registrar and write an undertaking that he will always attend his trial.

The case was adjourned till December 17 to 19 for trial.