A 33-year-old man, Monsuru Musa, has been arrested for allegedly impersonating his father during a promotion examination for staff of the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
Monsuru was reportedly caught while writing the examination on behalf of his father, Musa Mohammed, an employee of the FCT Fire Service.
The incident occurred on Wednesday at the National Open University of Nigeria examination centre in Abuja, during the third day of the promotion exercise organised by the FCT Civil Service Commission.
Monsuru was apprehended by security personnel monitoring the examination after the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, directed officials to prevent examination malpractice.
During interrogation, Monsuru admitted that he was not the registered candidate and said his father asked him to take the examination because of his health condition.
He initially told interrogators that his father was between 67 and 68 years old.
However, when questioned separately, Mohammed said he would turn 60 in February 2027, creating a discrepancy in their accounts.
Mohammed confirmed that Monsuru was his biological son and admitted that he asked him to sit for the examination on his behalf.
When asked whether he sent his son because of his health condition, Mohammed replied, “Yes.”
Monsuru also confirmed that his father instructed him to write the examination for him.
Mohammed said he completed primary school in 1977 and secondary school in 1982. He added that he travelled to Portugal in 1991 and started working in 2007.
He also said he was due to retire in February, although he appeared uncertain about his exact age during the interrogation.
According to Lere Olayinka, media aide to the FCT Minister, both men were taken into custody and handed over to the police after making statements to operatives of the Department of State Services.
