Law Firm Petitions ICPC To Investigate Alleged NECO Certificate Forgery By Defence Minister Matawalle
A legal firm, YAS Law Firm, has petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), calling for a comprehensive investigation into allegations that the Bello Mohammed Matawalle, Minister of State for Defence, allegedly falsified and forged a National Examinations Council Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal result purportedly obtained in June 2018.
In a petition dated July 2, 2026, and signed by Aliyu Y. Salihu Esq. on behalf of the firm, the lawyers urged the anti-corruption agency to investigate the authenticity of the certificate submitted by Matawalle to the Independent National Electoral Commission as part of his nomination documents for the 2023 governorship election in Zamfara State.
The petition questioned how Matawalle, who was an active politician and former member of the House of Representatives in 2018, allegedly sat for the NECO SSCE Internal examination, which is designed exclusively for final year secondary school students registered through accredited schools.
According to the petition, NECO’s registration guidelines require candidates to be bona fide Senior Secondary School 3 (SS3) students, registered by their schools with biometric verification and other mandatory requirements.
YAS Law Firm also referenced a 2018 letter from the Federal Ministry of Education, which reportedly stated that a vocational training certificate previously presented by Matawalle was not equivalent to the minimum secondary school qualification required under the Nigerian Constitution for elective office.
The petition argued that the findings raise questions over Matawalle’s constitutional qualification for elections he contested, including those for the House of Representatives and Governor of Zamfara State.
Among the documents submitted to the ICPC, the law firm listed copies of Matawalle’s alleged 1985 vocational training statement of result, the Federal Ministry of Education’s evaluation letter, the disputed 2018 NECO SSCE result, and certified copies of his INEC nomination forms.
The petition further called on the ICPC to verify Matawalle’s claimed attendance at Yaba College of Technology, noting that details of the course of study and period of attendance were not specified in the submitted forms.
The law firm urged the ICPC to conduct a thorough investigation and prosecute the minister if the allegations are substantiated, arguing that accountability is essential to strengthen public confidence in governance and uphold the rule of law.
