The management of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, has suspended five staff members and arrested four students for alleged involvement in certificate forgery and document falsification.
Rector of the institution, Professor Salisu Ogbo, disclosed this on Friday during a press briefing in Lokoja.
He said the management uncovered a syndicate involving both staff and students who had been manipulating academic records in clear violation of institutional procedures.
“Only recently, the management uncovered the 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,” he said.
Ogbo revealed that about 30 forged original certificates had already been discovered, adding that the culprits had the audacity to use the fake National Diploma results to apply for Higher National Diploma admission in the same institution.
He said the fraud was uncovered through intelligence reports and routine verification carried out by the Admission, ICT, and Security units of the school.
“These individuals compromised our security arrangements and tampered with the security features on our Statements of Result,” he added.
The rector said those involved colluded with result processors to prepare results for students who had multiple carryovers but refused to take their exams, making them appear 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 stated.
Ogbo assured the public that the polytechnic’s quality assurance and security systems remain intact and that the management will continue to expose and eliminate all forms of misconduct.
“We will not relent in our effort to expose and eliminate all forms of misconduct that are capable of denting the hard-earned reputation of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja,” he said.
