- Suspect jumps bail
By Gabriel Dike
Management of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) has dismissed a staff of the institution involved in sale of certificate to a serving federal lawmaker.
When the bubble bust, Seun Adebayo, a registry staff, was arrested by the State Crime Investigation Division (SCID), detained and granted bail.
It also learnt that when operatives of the SCID searched his house, blank YABATECH certificates, statement of results, stamp pad and other college items were found.
Daily Sun gathered that after his release on bail, Seun Adebayo was issued query by the college management and later dismissed from the services of YABATECH. He has also jumped bail.
YABATECH Director of Public Relations and Media, Dr. Charles Oni, confirmed that Seun Adebayo has been sacked by the college management for the certificate scam.
Oni’s word: ‘’After he was release on bail, he resigned his appointment but the college rejected it and dismissed him. If he is on bail, the police should look for him. We don’t know anything about his where about. When his house was searched, all manner of college materials were found.’’
H e further disclosed that the college management have deployed all Seun Adebayo’s colleagues in the certificate section stating ‘’after the fraud bust, Rector ordered a clean sweep of the section. We now have new staff there.’’
Meanwhile, details of how the Personal Assistant to the House Representative member exposed the certificate scam that rocked YABATECH has emerged.
The PA to the current House of Representative member from Kogi State spilled the bean during interrogation by the police on a petition on a different issue.
Initially, the PA was invited over alleged attempted murder and threat to life and during interrogation by the police, he opened up on the certificate issue and the case was referred to SCID for thorough investigation.
A former Bursar of the college, Mr. Akeju Babatunde, in an open letter to YABATECH Governing Council chairman, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, said: ‘’the most serious problem that should be carefully and painstakingly resolved is one involving the issuing of college certificates to none graduates of the college by the college registry.
‘’Honourable chairman, this is true in YABATECH. The case is pedestrially disposed off and the scapegoat is allowed to work freely out of the system while the collaborators are still around. When the certificates of an educational institution are freely given to non legitimate owners, it means the substratum clause of such institution is gone. Should this be the case of our noble school or is the council not aware or does not want to be aware.’’