Ogun poly expels 365 students for presenting fake results, forged transcripts
ABEOKUTA, Nigeria — In one of the largest academic crackdowns in recent regional history, an Ogun State-owned polytechnic has summarily expelled 365 students after a rigorous, multi-month verification exercise exposed a massive ring of certificate racketeering, forged academic transcripts, and falsified entry results.
The sweeping disciplinary action, which affects both National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) tranches, has sent shockwaves through the state's tertiary education landscape.
Auditing the Paper Trail: How the Fraud Was Exposed
According to internal institutional sources, the massive fraud came to light during a comprehensive audit initiated by the newly empowered academic board. The verification exercise was launched following discrepancies flagged by the central registry regarding transcripts submitted by direct-entry HND candidates from outside institutions.
The internal investigation team cross-referenced thousands of student profiles with the databases of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and various West African Examinations Council (WAEC) verification portals.
The findings of the investigative panel revealed a highly sophisticated web of forgery:
Fabricated ND Transcripts: A significant majority of the expelled HND students had gained admission using forged academic transcripts bearing the stamps and signatures of other prominent polytechnics across the country.
Altered O'Level Portals: Scores of ND students were discovered to have submitted cloned or heavily altered WAEC and NECO statements of results, artificially inflating their grades to meet stringent departmental cut-off marks.
Identity Swapping: In a handful of extreme cases, individuals were found to be studying under the stolen academic identities of legitimate candidates who had scored highly in previous UTME cycles but had chosen not to take up their admission slots.
Institutional Backlash: Clear the Bad Eggs
In an official statement released by the institution’s management following the ratification of the panel’s report by the Academic Board, the polytechnic reiterated its zero-tolerance policy toward any form of academic malpractice.
The school management made it clear that the names, matriculation numbers, and departments of all 365 affected individuals have been expunged from the institutional database, nullifying any academic credits they may have earned during their stay.
"The integrity of our diplomas is non-negotiable. Allowing individuals to acquire qualifications through fraudulent entry points compromises the hard work of thousands of honest students and devalues our institution's standing in the corporate world. We will continue to sanitize our system without fear or favor."
— Excerpt from the Official Management Statement
The polytechnic has also forwarded the files of the expelled students, alongside copies of the forged documents, to the Ogun State Police Command and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for further criminal investigation and potential prosecution.
Blacklisting the Scammers
The fallout from the mass expulsion is already altering administrative protocols. Security gates at the campus have been reinforced with strict digital screening measures, and security personnel have been issued a comprehensive watchlist of the expelled students to prevent them from entering campus grounds or disrupting ongoing examinations.
Furthermore, a circular has been dispatched to all heads of departments and academic coordinators, ordering an immediate review of all admission files for the current academic session.
Regulatory bodies like the NBTE have frequently warned Nigerian tertiary institutions about the rising sophistication of digital certificate forgery, advising schools to shift entirely to blockchain-verified or direct institution-to-institution electronic transcript transfers.
As the Ogun State ministry of education monitors the situation, this mass purge serves as a stark warning to desperate applicants nationwide that the clock is rapidly ticking out on the era of the forged paper certificate.
