Police PRO Deletes Tweet on Forgery After Being Linked to Tinubu’s Certificate Scandal

Patrick OdeyOctober 9, 2023

2 minutes read

The Delta State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe, has deleted a tweet he posted on forgery, after being indirectly questioned about President Bola Tinubu’s certificate scandal.

Edafe had tweeted that forgery is a crime punishable by law, in response to a hypothetical scenario posted by a UK-based medical doctor, Olufunmilayo, on X.

The doctor had asked if the police have the right to interrogate or arrest someone who uses forged car documents to replace the ones he lost.

Doctor Olufunmilayo’s post reads: “If I used to live in Abuja and bought a Mercedes SUV at the Mercedes dealership in Abuja, then I moved to Port Harcourt some weeks later then found out I have lost the car receipt and I don’t know anymore where all the original car papers are.

“If I now go to Oshodi under-bridge and tell a vendor to sharply forge some Mercedes documents for me to replace the ones I lost (at least I’m the one that bought the car), and I make sure I tell the vendor to cook the documents to my taste.

“If one day I run into police at a checkpoint and they suspect my car documents are dubious and not the original one issued by the Mercedes car seller.

“Do the police have any right to interrogate me or arrest me for any crime?

“If the @PoliceNG now calls the Mercedes dealership in Abuja to verify the document I have presented to the police, but the Mercedes dealership disowns the document and says they did not issue it, does the police have any right to still, question me further?”

In response to the question, the Delta Police PRO quickly jumped on existing laws and punishment for forgery without knowing the question indirectly had to do with the CSU saga.

“Forgery is a crime punishable by law”, in response to a hypothetical scenario posted by a UK-based medical doctor, Olufunmilayo, on X.

However, the doctor’s question was apparently a veiled reference to the ongoing controversy surrounding Tinubu’s certificate from the Chicago State University (CSU).

The Registrar of the CSU, Caleb Westberg, had denied the authenticity of the certificate Tinubu presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the 2023 general election.

Many Nigerians have accused Tinubu of alleged identity theft and forgery of his credentials. Some have also called on the police and other relevant agencies to investigate and prosecute him for the alleged crime.

Edafe, who seemed unaware of the connection between the doctor’s question and Tinubu’s case, quickly deleted his tweet after realizing his blunder. He has not issued any statement or explanation for his action.

See screenshots of his tweet and the doctor’s question below.

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