- Ex Law School official appears to suggest in the affirmative
- How Council of Legal Education dismissed 3 Principal staff over examination misconduct in 2022
A former Law School Academic director identified Chinaso, on Monday, inadvertently admitted in court that there is an examination malpractice syndicate at the Nigerian Law School in Abuja.
Chinaso made this known during the ongoing trial of journalist and human rights activist, Agba Jalingo.
Chinaso was in court as a witness for Elizabeth Ayade, the wife of Frank Ayade, a brother of former Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade in the case of Commissioner of Police vs Agba Jalingo.
The witness admitted under cross-examination that the law school routinely prosecutes students and staff involved in examination malpractices.
The police had charged Agba Jalingo under the Cybercrime Act over his publication that someone sat for the law school examination for the wife of former Governor Ayade’s brother.
SaharaReporters had reported that a frivolous petition bordering on defamation which was filed by Mrs. Elizabeth Ayade led to the arrest of Agba Jalingo in August 2022 in Lagos.
According to Cross River Watch where Jalingo is publisher, Mrs. Elizabeth Alami Ayade, through her lawyers in Abuja – Uyi Frank Obayagbona & Co. had written to Jalingo, claiming he wrote a defamatory article about her.
She, therefore, demanded N500 million as compensation.
But the letter was served on August 14 with Jalingo given two weeks to delete the article and comply, or redress would be sought in court.
Jalingo had alleged that Mr. Paschal Aboh, who is currently being tried by a court in Abuja for alleged examination malpractice, took the examination in place of a prominent Obudu woman.
He further took to social media to state that Mrs. Ayade had denied reports linking her to the trial of Paschal, a law lecturer at the University of Calabar.
In April, SaharaReporters reported that Jalingo was freed one week after being remanded at the Medium Security Custodial Center Kuje, Abuja by Justice Zainab Abubakar of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court for alleged acts of cybercrime.
Earlier, the court granted bail to Jalingo in the defamatory trial filed against him by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command.
According to a court document obtained by SaharaReporters and filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja on December 6, 2022, the police claimed the publication by the journalist against Elizabeth was false and was released for the purpose of causing her annoyance, ill will, and insult.
He was accused of committing offences punishable by Section 24 (1)b of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act 2015, Court documents in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/565/2022 show.
In November 2022, the Council of Legal Education approved the immediate dismissal of three staff of the Nigerian Law School over their involvement in examination misconduct in the May 2022 Bar final (resit) examination which is contrary to para 5.04.9 of the Condition of Service guiding staff members of the Law School.
According to confirmed sources, the Council adopted the recommendation for dismissal at its last Council meeting held on November 16, 2022, following months of investigation and probing conducted by the Staff Disciplinary Committee of the Law School.
The trio of Mr. Idoko Odeh, Mrs. Precious Chika Nwachukwu, and Mr. Gibson Uzodinma were accused of various degrees of exam misconduct.
While Odeh, a principal data processing officer with the Nigerian Law School, alleged to have reproduced a student identity card for one Mr. Pascal Bekongfe Aboh, a lawyer, to enable him take the resit exam for Benjamin Kayode Orekoya; the duo of Nwachukwu and Uzodinma were alleged to have facilitated, and received gratification for, the exchange of a student passport belonging to a candidate – Wobo Prince Adele-Owhor, to enable one Mr. Godknows Aliegbulam Wodo, to take the test for the said resit candidate.
The Source further confirmed that the actions of the three staff contravened various regulations governing the code of conduct for staff members of the law school, including penalties of “serious misconduct”, “acts unbecoming of a public officer”, and “undivided loyalty (to the Council of legal education)” as defined under para 5.04 of the Condition of Service of Council of Legal Education.
The Nigeria Lawyer also learned that those present at the Council meeting included the NBA President, Y.C.Maikyau; Dean of Law, Usman Danfodiyo University, Prof. Rufai Muftau; Attorney General of Kogi State, Ibrahim Sani Muhammed, SAN; the Attorney General of Kastina State, Mrs. Asmau Mukhtar; the Secretary of the Council, Mrs. E.O. Max-Uba, among others.
Sahara Reporters. Additional reports from PressPay.ng
