The Kaduna State Ministry of Justice has charged an alleged fake medical doctor, Saidu Ahmed Ya’u, before the Chief Magistrates’ Court for certificate forgery and impersonation. According to a statement issued by the ministry, which was signed by the Attorney General of Kaduna State, Aisha Dikko, the accused has been remanded at the Kaduna Correctional Facility until March 16.
The statement further said that the First Information Report (FIR) indicated that Saidu had been working as a medical doctor for more than 11 years as a worker of the Ministry of Health. According to the Attorney General, Governor Nasir El Rufai had ordered the Ministry of Health to investigate Saidu, following a petition alleging that the accused had been working with fake certificates.
Consequently, the Ministry of Health set up a four-member committee to investigate and verify the certificates and institutions that Saidu claimed to have attended as well as verify his registration with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN). The findings revealed that Ahmed Ya’u had forged the certificates, which he presented to the government to enable him to secure employment with the state’s Ministry of Health.
‘’Information gathered from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria and MDCN also reveals that Saidu was neither admitted nor graduated from the university and was not registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria,” the statement added.
The Attorney General further said that when the FIR was read to the defendant, he claimed that all the charges against him are false and his counsel thereafter made a bail application.
It was, however, opposed by the Director of Public Prosecution. According to the DPP, the allegations against him are very weighty, and the exceptional circumstances for admitting such offenders to bail have not been complied with, in line with Section 174 of the Kaduna State Administration of Justice Law 2017.
The Director then requested a date for further mention, in order to enable him to conclude investigations on the matter.
The court adjourned the matter to March 16.
The Guardian
