The management of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, has uncovered a nine-member syndicate allegedly involved in certificate racketeering and document falsification within the institution.
Rector of the polytechnic, Prof. Salisu Ogbo, disclosed this at a press conference on Friday in Lokoja. He said five staff members had been suspended, while four individuals claiming to be students were arrested in connection with the crime.
According to Ogbo, the syndicate made up of students, non-students and a few dishonest employees had been falsifying academic records and producing forged certificates in clear violation of institutional ethics and due process.
“We recently uncovered a criminal network engaged in the forgery of academic documents and manipulation of records. So far, 30 fake certificates bearing the institution’s name have been traced to the syndicate and were reportedly sold to unsuspecting buyers,” the rector said.
He explained that the suspects forged National Diploma (ND) certificates purportedly issued by the polytechnic and even used them to apply for admission into the Higher National Diploma (HND) programme of the same institution.
Ogbo said the fraud was uncovered through intelligence gathering and routine verification exercises jointly conducted by the Admissions, ICT and Security Units of the polytechnic.
“The perpetrators compromised our internal systems and tampered with the security features on our official Statements of Result,” he said. “They also colluded with result processors to generate results for students who had multiple carryovers and failed to complete their examinations, thereby presenting them as qualified graduates.”
Describing the act as a serious assault on the credibility and reputation of the institution, the rector vowed that those found culpable would face the full weight of the law.
He assured stakeholders, students and the general public that the management remains committed to upholding the integrity of the polytechnic’s certificates and academic processes.
“We will not relent in our resolve to identify, expose and eliminate every form of misconduct capable of tarnishing the hard-earned image of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja,” Ogbo declared.
