The Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, has uncovered a certificate forgery syndicate involving a Deputy Registrar and several staff and students of the institution.
Rector of the Polytechnic, Prof Salisu Usman, disclosed this at a press conference in Lokoja on Thursday, revealing that nine persons have so far been implicated in the scandal.
According to him, the Deputy Registrar, whose name was withheld for investigation purposes, and five other staff members in the Exams and Records Unit have been suspended indefinitely, while four others, including three students and a former student, have been arrested.
Usman said the syndicate was exposed through intelligence reports and routine verification exercises conducted by the Admissions, ICT, and Security Units, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies.
He disclosed that investigators recovered 30 forged statements of result, several fake official stamps, stamp pads, and admission letters from the suspects.
“Investigation revealed shocking levels of audacity and deceit. Some suspects forged National Diploma, ND, results and even applied for Higher National Diploma, HND, admission in the same institution using those forged results. Others forged both ND and HND certificates and attempted to collect original certificates based on those fabrications,” the rector said.
He identified some of the culprits to include Amina Mustapha, who was never a student of the Polytechnic but forged ND and HND results; and Mfon Asuquo, a former student who absconded with multiple carryovers and later presented a fake result for certification.
Others, including Danjuma Mercy Sunday, allegedly connived with Henry Tope, a former student described as the mastermind of the syndicate.
Usman also revealed that Mr. Dominic Egwuda, a staff member of the Exams and Records Unit, has gone into hiding after being linked to multiple cases of result falsification. Security operatives, he said, recovered dozens of forged documents from his residence.
“Mr. Egwuda’s name repeatedly appears in this saga. He has refused to honour our invitation and is presently on the run. We urge the public to provide any useful information on his whereabouts,” he said.
He vowed that all indicted persons would be handed over to the police for prosecution, adding that the institution maintains zero tolerance for academic fraud and unethical conduct.
“These acts represent a direct assault on the integrity of our institution and cannot go unpunished. We will not relent in exposing and eliminating all forms of misconduct that could tarnish our hard-earned reputation,” he declared.
Usman assured stakeholders that the Polytechnic’s quality assurance and security mechanisms remain intact, stressing that transparency and accountability would continue to guide its operations.
