The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, has said that it has sacked a Principal Technical Officer in the Academy, Mallam Rilwanu Sanusi, over his involvement in an admission scam in the just concluded 63 regular intake.
According to the Academy, the officer, who has already been handed over to the police for prosecution, collected N1million from one Mrs Farida Shuiabu, claiming to do so on behalf of the immediate past registrar of the academy, to help get two of her children admitted. ?
?Addressing newsmen at the NDA Headquarters in Kaduna, the registrar of the institution, Colonel Henry Ayamasaowei, said that “members of the public are to note that admission into NDA is not for sale; it is absolutely free and does not require any written note from any quarters.”
The registrar represented by the Academy Public relations officer, Lt.-Col. Nwachukwu Onyema, noted that “under no circumstances whatsoever should any person seeking admission into the academy give money to anybody.? Members of the public are requested therefore to be guided accordingly and no one should fall prey to scammers,” he warned. ?
Ayamasaowei explained that upon release of the entrance examination results in May 2011, two wards of Alhaji Shuaibu Ibrahim who wrote the examination were not successful.
Thereafter, Alhaji Shauibu’s wife, Farida, visited the academy in his office to solicit assistance for her wards, and he demanded the sum, and when he could not deliver, she asked for a refund.
“It was during the visit that Mallam Rilwanu met Mrs Farida and the deal was struck, adding “however that when the admission list for 63 Regular Course was released in July 2011 and the names of the two candidates did not appear, Alhaji Shuiabu Ibrahim promptly demanded the refund of his money. ?
“Mallam Sanusi started paying back the money in agreed instalments but defaulted at some point, which prompted Alhaji Shauibu to seek NDA’s intervention to recover the balance from him (Rilwanu)”, he said.