By Oluwabukunmi
The management of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, has uncovered a certificate racketeering syndicate operating within and around the institution, leading to the suspension of five staff members and the arrest of four alleged students.
Announcing the development at a press conference on Friday, the Rector of the Polytechnic, Professor Salisu Ogbo, said the suspects were implicated in large-scale certificate forgery and document falsification aimed at manipulating academic records.
“Only recently, the management uncovered a syndicate involving some students, non-students, and a few dishonest staff members accused of manipulating academic records in clear disregard of due process and institutional values,” Ogbo said.
According to him, the syndicate had allegedly produced and sold over 30 forged National Diploma (ND) certificates, some of which were used by the suspects to apply for Higher National Diploma (HND) admission in the same institution.
He explained that the fraud was uncovered through intelligence reports and routine verification exercises carried out by the Admissions, ICT, and Security Units of the polytechnic.
“These individuals compromised our security arrangements and tampered with the security features on our Statements of Result,” the rector said, adding that the management’s prompt action had prevented further reputational damage to the institution.
Professor Ogbo further revealed that some staff members colluded with result processors to generate academic results for individuals who had multiple carryovers but failed to sit for examinations — effectively branding them as graduates without merit.
“Such criminal acts represent an assault on the credibility and reputation of our institution, and they cannot be allowed to go unpunished,” he declared.
He reaffirmed the polytechnic’s commitment to maintaining strict academic integrity and warned that any staff member or student found guilty of academic fraud would face severe sanctions in line with institutional and legal procedures.
Ogbo also assured stakeholders and the general public that Kogi State Polytechnic’s quality assurance and security mechanisms remain robust and uncompromised, stressing that management would continue to expose and eliminate all forms of misconduct.
“We will not relent in our effort to protect the hard-earned reputation of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja,” he added.
The rector urged students, staff, and the public to report any suspicious activities to the appropriate authorities to aid ongoing investigations.
