A senior officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Commandant Appolos Dandaura, serving in the intelligence squad of NSCDC’s Commandant-General Ahmed Audi, is under probe over alleged forged academic documents.

The development followed a petition by a human rights lawyer Joseph Aliu to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), accusing Mr Dandaura of using allegedly forged academic certificates to secure employment and benefit from irregular career advancement within the NSCDC.

The petition seen by Peoples Gazette, dated December 23, 2025, urges the anti-corruption commission to investigate what it describes as “grave allegations of fake certificates and undue career progression” involving Mr Dandaura.

Copies of academic statements of results purportedly obtained from the Nasarawa State College of Agriculture were attached to the petition as evidence and marked as exhibits.

Also, purported copy of a University of Calabar certificate belonging to Mr Dandaura, attached to the petition does not carry a matric number, contrary to other certificates from the same university seen by our correspondent.

The petitioner argued that the allegations raise serious public interest and national security concerns, noting that integrity within law enforcement agencies was critical to public trust and operational effectiveness.

The lawyer further warned that allowing officers to rise through the ranks on the basis of questionable credentials could undermine discipline and professionalism across the service.

Contacted over the development, the NSCDC noted that it would investigate the allegations.

“We will investigate the matter, but I’m just hearing of the development,” Babawale Afolabi, NSCDC spokesperson told The Gazette on Wednesday.

When The Gazette contacted the ICPC over the petition, the spokesperson for the commission, Okor Odeh, said details of the petition would be investigated once sorted.

“Our process is simple, when petitions are submitted, it goes through a process until it gets to the chairman, and the agency look into the merits of the petitions, and the chairman assigns them to appropriate individuals to investigate the allegations,” Mr Odeh told The Gazette.

Invoking the Freedom of Information Act, the petition formally requests the ICPC to obtain and release certified true copies of academic certificates submitted by Mr Dandaura from the point of recruitment, as well as certified records of his career progression and promotion letters.

The petitioner further cautioned that failure by the ICPC to act or disclose the requested records would be interpreted as obstruction, adding that judicial intervention would be sought in the interest of justice and public interest.