WAEC results row deepens as police invite official

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The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre has invited a staff member of the West African Examinations Council, Olanrewaju Fadehan, to appear in Abuja on Wednesday over an alleged case of cyberstalking and criminal defamation.

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This comes as the Lagos State High Court restrained Fadehan from publishing or circulating alleged defamatory statements concerning the examination body and its Director-General, Dr Amos Dangut.

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The police invitation, signed by the Director of the NPF-NCCC, AIG Akaninyene Ezima, directed Fadehan to report to the centre in Abuja at 10 am on Wednesday for an interview over an alleged case of cyberstalking and criminal defamation.

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Reacting to the developments, Fadehan said he had received the court papers and was aware of the injunction.

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“They’ve even done that already. At least, they sent me a court paper yesterday (Monday). That one is an interim injunction that I should not post anything any longer,” he said.

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On the police invitation, he added, “They’re taking me to the cybercrime centre in Abuja. Tomorrow (Wednesday), I’m supposed to appear before them.”

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On Monday, Justice Yetunde Adesanya, in an interim order made in Suit No. LD/ADR/6656/2026, restrained Fadehan from “publishing, broadcasting, circulating or disseminating” any “defamatory, maligning and/or injurious falsehood” concerning WAEC, its examinations, results and certificates, or Dangut’s “character and/or integrity.”

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The order covers publications in video, audio, written or other formats on any platform, including YouTube and WhatsApp. It is to “abate after seven (7) days” unless renewed by the court.

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WAEC and Dangut are seeking N500m general damages for libel, N300m aggravated and exemplary damages and N25m costs, totalling N825m.

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They are also seeking an order compelling Fadehan to retract the alleged defamatory publications, issue a public apology and permanently remove them from all platforms.

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Fadehan, who is Head of Examinations at WAEC’s office covering Anambra, had, in viral videos, called for a review of the recently released 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination results, citing alleged irregularities.

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He also made allegations of financial impropriety against the council’s management, including issues concerning the supply of calculators, students’ identification cards and charges imposed on candidates and other service seekers.

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Fadehan further alleged that some candidates were not provided with appropriate calculators during the examination, claiming that this contributed to poor performance in Mathematics and other calculation-based subjects.

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He subsequently petitioned the WAEC Board, the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Examining Bodies and the Minister of Education, alleging that rather than addressing his complaints, the council subjected him to disciplinary proceedings and placed him on interdiction.

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In a separate correspondence to Fadehan, WAEC’s lawyers, Union Attorneys, alleged that he published a series of videos attacking the council and Dangut.

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The lawyers referred to publications titled, among others, “Tyranny in WAEC, Nigeria: Dangut must go,” “WAEC: My alleged offence and the overbearing sanctions,” “WAEC’s MND: Petition to ASF, National Assembly and Minister for Education plus appeal,” and “Anomalies in WAEC – Series 1: I won’t wait.”

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They further alleged that Fadehan later published another video titled “Dangut is a thief,” describing the publications as containing “inaccurate information and reckless statements.”

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The lawyers said the publications continued despite a cease-and-desist letter dated August 24, 2026.

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In its response to the viral videos, WAEC, through its spokesperson, Moyosola Adesina, accused Fadehan of spreading falsehoods and sensational materials to spite the council.

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The council alleged that Fadehan was involved with some staff in the misappropriation and attempted cover-up of hundreds of litres of diesel from its underground tank at the Awka office.

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WAEC said Fadehan, following a four-week suspension, began making unsubstantiated allegations against the council under the guise of whistleblowing.

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“It is important to also note that Mr Fadehan is still a staff member of the council and his employment has not been determined.

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“He has published that his employment has been determined while continuing to earn salaries from the council. His allegations have been investigated at various levels and found to be false. He has been spreading falsehoods and sensational materials to spite the council,” WAEC stated.

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However, speaking with The PUNCH on Tuesday, Fadehan disputed the allegations arising from the fuel shortage controversy, saying an internal panel found that nobody stole fuel and that the shortage resulted from leakage.

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“The panel resolved that nobody stole anything,” he said.

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Fadehan said the fuel controversy was separate from the matter for which he was currently on interdiction, insisting that the latter arose from allegations of defamation.

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“So, it was based on the issue of defamation now that I was put on interdiction. It has nothing to do with fuel.

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“The fuel issue is gone. The issue of fuel is being brought up when I raised the issue of a calculator that was not given to the candidate. He now set up a panel for me. The same Dangut set up a panel for me, and the query of that panel reads that I defamed him,” he said.

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He denied being bitter over the sanctions imposed on him by WAEC, saying he had appealed against them.

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“I’m not bitter. I’ve appealed what they did. So I’m not bitter,” he said.

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The PUNCH reports that Fadehan made allegations against the examination body in a now viral video, claiming that candidates who sat the computer-based version of the examination were particularly affected.

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Fadehan alleged that the problems were noticeable around the release of the results, which he said was initially expected to be announced between August 3 and 5, 2026, adding that WAEC had traditionally released results on Mondays.

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He further alleged that rather than addressing his complaints, he was subjected to disciplinary proceedings and subsequently placed on interdiction.

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