The House of Representatives has officially cleared the Republic of Togo of any complicity in the issuance of fake academic certificates, shifting its investigative spotlight to the Republic of Benin, where a suspected syndicate of certificate forgers is said to be operating unchecked.
Chairman of the House Committee on Public Petitions, Hon Bitrus Laori, made this known during a resumed investigative hearing held Friday in Abuja. The hearing followed a petition submitted by Sovereign Legal Practitioners on behalf of key stakeholders in the Nigerian education sector.
Laori stated that diplomatic investigations conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had confirmed the integrity of Togo’s educational institutions, leading to the exoneration.
“The Republic of Togo has been cleared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The outstanding issue remains with the Republic of Benin,” Laori said.
Attention now turns to the Benin Republic, where allegations persist regarding the existence of a certificate racketeering network that facilitates the sale of degrees to Nigerian citizens, especially between 2017 and 2024.
The committee adjourned proceedings until Thursday, July 10, 2025, after the absence of the petitioners’ legal counsel, but not before issuing a fresh summons to the Federal Ministry of Education.
“We need clarification on the pre-qualification examinations being imposed on graduates from the Benin Republic. This is currently affecting hundreds of Nigerian students and graduates,” Laori added.
The House probe follows a 2024 undercover sting operation by a Nigerian journalist, which uncovered a thriving market for fake degrees in the Benin Republic, triggering mass outrage and prompting the federal government to initiate administrative sanctions.
Several civil servants were subsequently dismissed for presenting certificates obtained from unaccredited universities in Togo and Benin Republic during the seven-year period under review.
