The House of Representatives has formally exonerated the Republic of Togo of any involvement in the issuance of fake academic certificates, shifting full investigative focus to the Republic of Benin, where disturbing evidence of widespread certificate racketeering has emerged.

Chairman of the House Committee on Public Petitions, Hon. Bitrus Laori, disclosed this during a resumed investigative hearing in Abuja following Petition No. 445 of 2024 filed by Sovereign Legal Practitioners on behalf of key education stakeholders. The petition questions the Federal Ministry of Education’s sweeping pronouncement last year that implicated both Togo and Benin Republic in academic fraud.

According to Laori, diplomatic findings from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have cleared Togo of any wrongdoing, reaffirming the credibility of its educational institutions. “Of course, the Republic of Togo has been cleared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The outstanding issue remains with the Republic of Benin,” Laori stated.

The committee has now fixed July 10, 2025, for a fresh hearing focused solely on the Benin Republic following a formal adjournment prompted by the absence of counsel representing the petitioners.

The Federal Ministry of Education, which was also absent at the sitting, has been mandated to appear and provide clarity on its 2024 directive regarding pre-qualification exams for foreign degree holders.

“This matter is adjourned to July 10, and we are issuing another summons to the Federal Ministry of Education,” Laori ruled. “We need clarifications on the pre-qualification examinations being imposed on graduates from Benin Republic, which is currently affecting hundreds of Nigerian students and graduates.”

The development follows a major sting operation in late 2024, where an undercover journalist exposed a lucrative certificate-for-sale scheme in Benin Republic, prompting widespread public outrage and immediate administrative action by the federal government.

In the aftermath, dozens of civil servants were dismissed for presenting degrees obtained from unaccredited private universities in both Togo and Benin between 2017 and 2024. However, with Togo now cleared, the spotlight is firmly on Benin Republic’s institutions and their Nigerian collaborators.

The House’s investigation is ongoing, with lawmakers vowing to uproot all networks enabling academic fraud across West Africa. (Vanguard)