A 33-year-old man, Monsuru Musa, has been arrested for allegedly impersonating his father, Musa Mohammed, during a promotion examination organised for staff of the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
Monsuru was reportedly caught on Wednesday, the third day of the promotion examination, while taking the test on behalf of his father, an employee of the FCT Fire Service.
The examination, organised by the FCT Civil Service Commission, was held at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
According to Lere Olayinka, an aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, Monsuru was apprehended by security personnel deployed to monitor the examination following the minister’s directive.
During questioning, Monsuru admitted that he was not the registered candidate and said his father had sent him to take the examination on his behalf because of his health condition.
He initially told interrogators that his father was between 67 and 68 years old.
However, when Mohammed was questioned separately, he said he would turn 60 in February 2027, prompting further questioning over the discrepancy.
Mohammed confirmed that Monsuru was his biological son and admitted that he had asked him to sit for the examination because of his health.
“Because of your health, you asked him to come and take the exam for you?” one of the interrogators asked.
“Yes,” Mohammed replied.
Monsuru also confirmed that his father had instructed him to take the examination.
During the interrogation, Mohammed said he completed primary school in 1977 and secondary school in 1982. He added that he travelled to Portugal in 1991 and began working in 2007.
He also told the interrogators that he was due to retire in February, although he reportedly struggled to state his exact age during the questioning.
The interrogation was captured on video, with both father and son repeatedly acknowledging Monsuru’s involvement in the examination on his father’s behalf.
The two men were subsequently handed over to the police for further investigation after making statements to operatives of the Department of State Services.
The police are expected to investigate the alleged examination impersonation and determine whether further action will be taken against the father and son.
The incident occurred amid increased monitoring of the FCTA promotion examinations to prevent examination malpractice and ensure that registered candidates personally sit for the tests.
