A Deputy Registrar at the Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, is among nine members of a syndicate that specialized in forging statement of results and educational certificates of the polytechnic.
The Rector of the polytechnic, Professor Salisu Ogbo Usman disclosed this at a press conference in Lokoja on Thursday.
He said the Deputy Registrar which he refused to mention his name and five other members of staff in the Exams and Records Unit of the polytechnic identified to be members of the syndicate have been suspended indefinitely.
He also said four other persons, including three students and a former student involved in the certificate and statement of results forgery case have been identified and arrested.
Usman said the suspects were identified through intelligence reports and routine verification exercises by the Admission, ICT, and Security Units, of the polytechnic.
According to him, a detailed investigation was also launched in collaboration with relevant law enforcement agencies.
The Rector said 30 statements of result bearing different names, ND and HND certificate several fake official stamps, stamp pads and admission letters bearing different names and programmes were recovered from the suspects.
The Rector, however, stated that further : “Investigation revealed shocking levels of audacity and deceit.
“Some of the suspects forged National Diploma (ND) results in the name of Kogi State Polytechnic and had the temerity to apply for Higher National Diploma (HND) admission in the same institution using the forged ND results.
“Even more alarming, others forged both ND and HND results and had the gut to apply for the collection of original certificates for the same fabricated results.”
Professor Usman explained that the nune persons so far identified ti be members of the syndicate will be made to face the music for their action.
“These individuals compromised our security arrangements and tampered with the security features on our Statements of Result.
“They colluded with result processors to prepare results for individuals who had multiple carryovers but refused to sit for their examinations, thereby falsely portraying them as graduates.
“Such criminal acts represent an assault on the credibility and reputation of our institution, and they cannot be allowed to go unpunished,” he said.
According to the Rector, the recent cases uncovered in this regards are : “Amina Mustapha who was never our student, but forged our ND and HND results and attempted to use same to obtain original certificate in connivance with some members of staff in Exams Unit.
“Mfon Asuquo who was our student that absconded with multiple carryovers only to fraudulently obtain our statement of result and attempted using same to obtain original certificate in connivance with same members of staff in Exams Unit.
“Danjuma Mercy Sunday who connived with one Abubakar Musa (our student with matriculation number 2024/HND/URP/052, Adejoh Faith (our student with matriculation number 2024/HND/OTM/179, Ademu Rilwan (our student with matriculation number 2024/HND/BUS/158 and Henry Tope; a former student identified as the mastermind of the syndicate forging statement of result.
“We are pleased to inform the public that four suspects involved in the forgery of statement of result were apprehended during registration.
“They have been handed over to our security unit, whose investigation led to the unmasking of the broader syndicate behind this academic fraud.
“For record purpose, let me re-emphasise the case of Amina Mustapha earlier mentioned.
“She appeared alongside a staff member, Mr. Dominic Egwuda, to collect ND and HND certificates in Computer Science.
“Upon scrutiny by the Admissions Unit, discrepancies were noticed.
“Investigation revealed that Amina never attended Kogi State Polytechnic, and her matriculation numbers were nonexistent.
“Further investigation led to the suspension of five (5) staff members, including a Deputy Registrar. Mr. Dominic Egwuda, whose name repeatedly appears in this saga, has refused to honour our invitation and is presently on the run.
“In another discovery, a staff member in the Exams and Records Unit already under disciplinary review had in his possession 30 forged Statements of Result bearing different names and programmes.
“Security operatives also recovered several fake official stamps, stamp pads and admission letters bearing different names and programmes from his residence.”
The Rector disclosed a staff member of the polytechnic, Dominic Egwuda who is now on the run is very key to the ingoing investigation into the activities of the syndicate.
He appealed to members of the public to join hands with the polytechnic by supplying useful information that can lead to the whereabouts of Dominic Egwuda.
He said that it is through the fleeing Dominic Egwuda that the polytechnic can determine to which extent the syndicate has gone in its forgery activities.
Usman vowed that any staff member, student, or external collaborator found culpable will face the full wrath of the law in addition to other institutional disciplinary measures
“Let me state unequivocally that Kogi State Polytechnic maintains zero tolerance for academic fraud, result falsification, and all forms of unethical conduct.
“While some may feel we are hasty in going public, our position remains that we must act within the limits of authority and transparency as we do not want a repeat of the Ayeni case of 2020, which has lingered without resolution.
“We wish to assure the general public, stakeholders, and the Polytechnic community that our quality assurance measures and security mechanisms remain fully active and uncompromised.
“We shall not relent in our effort to expose and eliminate all forms of misconduct that is capable of denting hard earned reputation of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja,” he explained.
The Rector said all individuals involved in this forgery scandal will be immediately handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution to serve as a deterrent to others.
(vitalnewsngr.com)
