THE Akwa Ibom State Police Command has clarified the viral allegation by one Miss Joy Ben Samuel that it comprised investigation into her petition by granting bail to the suspect who issued her a fake WAEC result without consulting her.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Odiko MacDon, made the clarification in a statement made available to newsmen yesterday in Uyo.
MacDon stressed that it was important for Miss Joy Samuel to understand that bail was granted to Joseph John (suspect) because the offence is a bail-able one.
He narrated: “The Akwa Ibom State Police Command received a petition of forgery and conspiracy from one Miss Joy Samuel , alleging that one Mr Joseph John gave her a fake WAEC result.
“On receipt of the said petition, the Command’s Monitoring Unit was mandated to carry out a discrete investigation. The Suspect was arrested on the 22nd of December 2023 for interrogation.
However, while the investigation was still in progress, as the command had earlier written to WAEC to ascertain the true position of the result, Miss Joy Samuel made a video that went viral, alleging that the investigation had been compromised.
” Her outburst did not deter the Police from pursuing the truth. Our investigation revealed that Joseph John and Joy Samuel were intimate friends as at the time of writing the Exam and collection of result.
“Joseph John was at that time the Exams Officer of the School, Blessed Hope Comprehensive College, Ikot Otong in Ika Local Government Area. Miss Joy gave N15,000 to Joseph to collect her original Certificate and send to her. He collected the said certificate but alleged that it got lost while he went to waybill it to her.
“He informed her and the School Authority of the development. In the course of looking for a solution, she petitioned him through her Lawyer. The Suspect (Joseph) obtained the NIN of the Complainant from her Lawyer and used it to print the WAEC Digital Certificate from WAEC portal and gave to her which she said was fake.
However, in the response from WAEC to our request, WAEC confirmed that the copy of the certificate which was given to Miss Joy by the Suspect, which the Police forwarded to them for authentication emanated from the Council and was provisioned and printed from the WAEC Digital certificate portal”.
On the release of the Suspect without consulting the Complainant as She alleged, Miss Joy should know that the alleged offence was a bail-able one and that the Commissioner of Police does not need her consent at any point in law to grant Police administrative bail to a Suspect in matters where such rights can be exercised, neither does he need to be called by the Minister before carrying out his constitutional responsibility”
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The PPRO further stated that bringing the Minister into the matter was unnecessary and uncalled for, stressing, “The Command wishes to advise Miss Joy Ben Samuel and Mr. Joseph Moses John to work together and explore available peaceful options to get her original Certificate back”
