Kogi Polytechnic Suspends Staff, Arrests Students Over Extensive Certificate Forgery Syndicate

Kogi State Polytechnic is currently embroiled in a major scandal involving certificate fraud and document falsification, with the institution actively investigating a group of nine individuals implicated in the criminal syndicate.

Dependable NG reports that the Rector of the Institution, Professor Salisu Ogbo, disclosed the details during a press conference held on Friday in Lokoja. The Rector announced that five staff members of the Polytechnic have been suspended, while four students have been arrested in connection with the exposed syndicate. According to Professor Ogbo, the illegal network involved a combination of current students, non-students, and a “few dishonest staff members” accused of manipulating official academic records in a clear disregard for institutional values.

Professor Ogbo further revealed the astonishing scale of the operation, stating, “We have discovered 30 forged original certificates reportedly sold out to prospective buyers.” He detailed the audacity of the suspects, noting that they had forged National Diploma (ND) results in the name of the Polytechnic and even had the temerity to use these falsified documents to apply for Higher National Diploma (HND) admission within the same institution.

The extensive fraud was initially uncovered following detailed intelligence reports and routine verification exercises carried out by the institution’s Admission, ICT, and Security Units. The Rector explained that these individuals managed to compromise security arrangements and tamper with the security features embedded in the school’s Statements of Result. He specifically noted that they colluded with result processors to prepare results for individuals who had numerous carryovers but refused to sit for their examinations, thus falsely portraying them as qualified graduates.

Professor Ogbo stressed that “Such criminal acts represent an assault on the credibility and reputation of our institution, and they cannot be allowed to go unpunished.” He assured all stakeholders and the general public that the institution’s quality assurance measures and security mechanisms remain fully active and uncompromising. He concluded by pledging, “We will 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.”