Kogi Polytechnic Uncovers Certificate Forgery Syndicate, Suspends Five Staff and Arrests Four Students
Kogi State Polytechnic has uncovered a nine-member syndicate involved in certificate forgery and racketeering.
The rector said five staff were suspended and four suspects arrested for producing fake certificates.
The management of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, has uncovered a nine-member syndicate allegedly involved in certificate racketeering and document forgery within the institution.
Rector of the polytechnic, Professor Salisu Ogbo, disclosed this during a press conference held on Friday, October 31, in Lokoja. He confirmed that five staff members had been suspended, while four individuals claiming to be students were arrested in connection with the fraudulent activities.
According to the rector, the suspects were caught manipulating academic records, forging official documents, and violating established institutional procedures. He explained that the investigation revealed that the group had produced and sold at least 30 fake original certificates to unsuspecting buyers.
“These individuals forged National Diploma certificates in the name of Kogi State Polytechnic and even attempted to use the fake results to apply for Higher National Diploma admission in the same school,” Ogbo stated.
He said the scam was uncovered through intelligence gathering and a verification exercise carried out by the Admission, ICT, and Security Units of the institution. The rector noted that the suspects tampered with the security features of the school’s statements of results and collaborated with result processors to manipulate records for students who failed to meet academic requirements.
Ogbo described the act as a serious crime that undermines the integrity of the polytechnic and the credibility of its certificates. He assured that the management would take decisive action against everyone involved to safeguard the institution’s reputation.
He also reiterated that Kogi Polytechnic remains committed to upholding transparency, accountability, and the highest academic standards. “We will continue to identify and remove all forms of misconduct that could damage the image of our institution,” he said.
The rector urged members of the public and stakeholders to continue to trust the polytechnic’s internal quality assurance systems, emphasizing that security measures have been strengthened to prevent a repeat of such incidents.
