Kogi State Polytechnic has apprehended nine suspects over alleged certificate forgery and document falsification.

The Rector of the Polytechnic, Prof. Salisu Ogbo, disclosed this while addressing a news conference on Friday in Lokoja.

“Recently, the management uncovered a group of students, non-students, and a few dishonest staff members accused of manipulating academic records in clear disregard of due process and institutional values,” he stated.

“The suspects forged National Diploma (ND) results in the name of Kogi State Polytechnic and had the temerity to apply for Higher National Diploma (HND) admission in the same institution using the forged ND results,” he added.

He further noted that the individuals compromised the institution’s security arrangements and tampered with the security features on the Statements of Result.

“These individuals compromised our security arrangements and tampered with the security features on our Statements of Result,” he stressed.

Prof. Ogbo also revealed that the culprits connived with result processors to prepare results for individuals who had multiple carryovers but refused to sit for their examinations.

According to him, the fraud was uncovered following intelligence reports and routine verification exercises carried out by the Admission, ICT, and Security Units of the institution.

“Such criminal acts represent an assault on the credibility and reputation of our institution, and they cannot be allowed to go unpunished,” he stressed.

The Rector assured the general public, stakeholders, and the polytechnic community that the institution’s quality assurance measures and security mechanisms remain fully active and uncompromised.

He concluded by reaffirming that the institution will not relent in its effort to expose and eliminate all forms of misconduct capable of denting the hard-earned reputation of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja.