Illegal degree mill: ICPC re-arraigns professor, two others

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has re-arraigned Professor David Iornem and two others before Justice P.O. Lifu of the Abuja Federal High Court on an amended charge bordering on certificate racketeering and money laundering.

The eleven-year-old case which began in 2013, commenced de novo due to the elevation of Justice A.R. Mohammed to the Court of Appeal.

At the resumed hearing of the case, the prosecution counsel, David Nwaze, informed the court that the Commission was ready to proceed with the re-arraignment of the defendants and also commence trial with two witnesses who were present in court.

David Iornem pleaded not guilty to the 12 count charge read to him while he pleaded the same also for Island Open University Inc. and Commonwealth University Inc., being the 2nd and 3rd defendants, respectively, on counts 13 and 14 of the charge.

Count one of the amended charge read: “That you, David Iornem (m) between 1st January to 31st December, 2012 and on various dates thereafter, by false pretence and with intent to defraud, conspired with one Bruce Robert Duncan (m), and other persons at large to obtain money for yourselves by means of an advertisement published by you on the internet in which you offered admission to whosoever would apply to you as a Consultant/Academic Adviser for admission into Commonwealth University Belize which you falsely represented to be a foreign university based in Belize, when you knew that the said Commonwealth University Belize is neither accredited nor authorized to operate as a university in Belize and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(a) and Section 1 (1)(a) and punishable under section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.”

On the other hand, count thirteen read: “That you, Island Open University Inc, between July to December, 2012 and on various dates thereafter retained benefit of the sum of E11,000 (Eleven thousand British pounds) to acquire a two bedroom flat at No 9 Offord Close, London knowing the said sum to be derived from racketeering in the award of academic and honorary degrees of a fake and unaccredited ‘Commonwealth University Belize’ and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 17(a) and (b) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011.”

Upon application by their counsel for admission to bail on the same terms granted earlier before the former Judge, Justice A.R. Mohammed, the court granted bail to the defendants but tightened the conditions to include that as against N100,000, the bail bond is now N20 million.

It also increased the sureties to two, in which one of the sureties must be a civil servant not below level 14. Other conditions remain the same.

In the course of the trial, prosecution counsel, David Nwaze, called the first witness, Mr Chidi Orji, a staff with the ICPC.

Orji in his testimony informed the court that he was part of the team that investigated the petition written to ICPC by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

He emphasized that the petition came at a time when NUC partnered with ICPC to clamp down on illegal degree awarding universities and institutions in the country.

The witness further narrated his specific role as an agent provocateur who disguised himself as one seeking a degree for one of his superior’s wards under the pseudo name Jamilu Rabiu Sani and in the process paid the sum of $800 to the 3rd Defendant as an application fee and good faith fee.

He added that it was upon his return to convert the bank teller to the 3rd defendant’s receipt that eventually led to the arrest of a staff of the 3rd defendant in a sting operation, as planned by the investigation team.

In the cross examination, the defendant counsel, Felix Tyokase while attempting to probe the source of the petition, maintained that the 2nd and the 3rd defendants were not among the list of illegal degree awarding institutions submitted to ICPC by NUC at that time.

In response, the witness, Orji emphasized that although he was not sure whether or not the 2nd and the 3rd defendants were on that list, however, that a complaint could be received by ICPC to investigate any other institution not on the list.

The matter has been adjourned till March 4, 2025, by Justice Lifu for the continuation of trial.