The Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC) has urged the Commissioner of Police, Special Fraud Unit (SFU), to commence investigation into an alleged forgery and fraud in the scandal relating to Senator Dino Melaye’s graduation from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

In a petition forwarded to the SFU of the police, a copy made available to the media, CSNAC’s chairman, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, said if the scandal is not thoroughly investigated, it is capable of sending bad impression about the efficiency of the nation's institutions.

The petition reads: “Following a publication from SaharaReporters, an online based newspaper, the media has been rife with issues of accusations and denials with respect to the fact that Mr. Dino Melaye, a senator in the National Assembly representing Kogi West did not graduate from ABU as he has always alleged and severally submitted to INEC under oath for the purpose of elections.

“The Nigerian Senate Ethics Committee invited the said University’s Vice Chancellor; Prof. Ibrahim Garba to appear before it to give clarifications on the issue.

“During his appearance, he made representations to the effect that from the university’s ‘available records’ Mr. Melaye had graduated from the university in the year 2000.

“This is in spite of academic records available to the public showing that some Professors at the Geography department manipulated and forged school records to help Mr. Melaye ‘graduate’.”

CSNAC requested SFU “to conduct an independent, fair and unbiased investigation in the interest of public confidence and in a bid to uphold the integrity of Nigeria’s federal institutions, so as not to make a continuous mockery of the calibre and integrity of persons representing the people in public offices.”

It added: “We are of the view that if this scandal is not thoroughly investigated, it is capable of leading watching international media and institutions into a justifiable conclusion as to the corrupt, inefficient and fraudulent nature of Nigerian educational institutions, the supposedly revered Nigerian senate and the country as a whole.

“The requested investigation has become a necessity in the face of the current administration’s commitment to eroding corruption from our public institutions.”

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