Degree For Sale: Sting Operation Exposes Lagos University Certificate Racketeering, Shielding Of Workers Charging Up To N3Million Per Buyer

When Lagos Disclose University (LASU), Ojo, became once established in 1983, it became once envisioned to pursue the building of learning and academic excellence.

Stage accessible for N2 million – N3 million 

None of these all in favour of the institution of the noble mission could maybe well per chance possess foreseen that less than four decades down the line, all it will rob for intellectually sluggish folk to salvage a level well-liked by the college Senate could maybe well per chance be N2 million to N3 million.

The final particular person desires are the vital amount of money – which is able to differ reckoning on the division of want – and an O-stage certificate and in two to three weeks, they are going to depend themselves as ‘LASU graduates’. Remarkably, their puny print and outcomes fabricate it to the college server alongside these of valid graduates who burnt the candle at each and every ends to compose theirs.

And that is no longer all: the founders can also merely unexcited be turning of their graves radiant that no longer excellent is certificate racketeering thriving in the college but that some workers contributors had been caught and mysteriously allowed to carry on as if nothing came about.

SaharaReporters learnt that some of the contributors of the level-awarding syndicate possess since been promoted and in a couple of cases risen to change into professors in the college.

Sting Operation With Body Cameras

Indeed, in 2020-2021, a sting operation spearheaded by the college management at the time and the Division of Disclose Products and services (DSS) exposed certificate racketeering in the college and succeeded in getting confessions from some contributors of the syndicate. Sadly, sources talked about it all ended with the administration of Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun as Vice-Chancellor.

His successor, Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello has shown no hobby in anyway in elimination the nasty eggs in the college system, a security source conscious of the investigation talked about.

Sources in the DSS informed SaharaReporters that the sting operation which became once highly detailed and integrated the usage of physique cameras and other objects started in 2020 and culminated in the arrest and grilling of some contributors of workers.

A couple of of the contributors of the syndicate who wrote confessional statements at the DSS in Lagos consist of Muyideen Zubairu, Daniel Amos, Olowu Abiona, Akindele Qudus Tunde, Oyebanji Olumide Ezun, Tajudeen Abayomi Olumoko, Hammed Ayofe Mutalib, and London Oghenemaro Vincent. 

“The certificate racketeering syndicate possess valid Lagos Disclose University certificates that any individual need to buy for between N2 million and N3 million, reckoning on the technicality of the course enthusiastic,” one of many sources talked about.

“After they possess their client, the exact issues they’ll request from the customer are money and their O-stage certificate. They check the different of credit it’s seemingly you’ll maybe well possess. That will opt the course they’ll point out. As professionals, they know the course it’s seemingly you’ll maybe well per chance maybe also merely unexcited salvage or the level it’s seemingly you’ll maybe well per chance maybe also merely unexcited depart for whereas it’s seemingly you’ll maybe well possess this or that. Once that is settled, they possess contributors of the syndicate in the ICT division of the college who will enter the actual person’s date into the server. They accumulate the money and enter all of your scores, and after, it could maybe probably possess to be posted on the server of the college.

“If you depart to the college’s server with the matric amount generated for you, you salvage the title and puny print of the student there as an official student.”

SaharaReporters learnt that exact thru the sting operation, money became once paid individually and at assorted times to Daniel Amos and Akindele Qudus Tunde for two degrees, one in Industrial Kin and Personnel Management.

Amos charged N2 million for the Industrial Kin and Personnel Management level for one Adewoye Michael – whose O-stage result became once ancient but he became once already a graduate of one other college at the time. Internal three days, the profile of Adewoye Michael in conjunction with a newly generated matric amount and misleading outcomes from Three hundred and sixty five days 1 to final year had been uploaded on the college’s server.

For the different candidate, Okowi Cosmos – also a graduate of one other college at the time – whose O-stage outcomes had been ancient in the sting operation, the invoice became once N3 million for the reason that course of hobby – Business Administration – became once rated as extra technical and sophisticated.

Narrating how they went about it, one of many security sources talked about, “Later, we explained that we wished to salvage one other certificate from them. So we presented one other O-stage certificate but we had been informed that one other crew would handle it because it became once no longer Industrial Kin and Personnel Management. That became once how we met Qudus, a non-instructing workers member.

“After we met with him, he gave a invoice of N3 million and the then-VC (Prof. Fagbohun) who became once saddened by the enchancment and fervent for us to bust the syndicate offered N1 million as an reach fee to present to the crew to lure them in.

“There had been physique cameras and many others. We worked together as a crew then and the college’s security crew became once also phase of the operation.

“Proper to their observe, they did it and all the pieces became once posted on the college’s server. It became once ready for clearance by the Senate of the college; that became once when we arrested these folk. They spent some time in custody and made damning statements that indicted high-ranking contributors of the college.

“A couple of of these indicted are now professors. One London Oghenemaro Vincent became once the head of these to blame for inputting the misleading profile and outcomes into the college’s server. He became once a guru in it; he also fingered a high-ranking workers member that we tried traumatic to arrest but couldn’t as a result of he became once smartly-connected.

“Anyway, we realized out that the ICT division of the college became once very glum and there are unexcited substances there lately who had been phase of the certificate racketeering.”

“Sadly, when the tenure of Prof Fagbohun ended and Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello came in, it grew to change into out that some of these guys all in favour of the racketeering had been phase of these that helped her to change into the VC one manner or the different. So, she has swept the topic below the carpet to shield them. Letters written by the DSS had been overlooked,” one of many sources talked about.

104 Stage Certificates Issued By Syndicate

Within the period in-between, no fewer than 104 folk had been issued ‘valid’ (LASU’s official level certificates) by the syndicate at the time, as published by the investigation into their operations.

A November 2022 letter from the college’s Registrar, Emmanuel Fanu affirmed some 15 students who fraudulently obtained degrees but could maybe well per chance no longer be located.

The letter dated November 2, 2022, rapidly sighted by SaharaReporters, became once addressed to the Disclose Director of Security, Division of Disclose Products and services. The letter is titled ‘Re: Petition On Admission Racketeering, Certificate Falsification And Transcripts Falsification: Request For Pressing Intervention’.

It reads, “Your letter with Reference No: 0.120/22/3111 dated 11th August, 2022 which became once addressed to the Vice Chancellor on the above discipline refers, please.

“I am directed by the Vice Chancellor, Lagos Disclose University to enable you to know that a thorough check of the University’s database indicated that puny print of fifteen (15) out of the seventeen (17) matriculation numbers listed for your letter can be retrieved from our database whereas two (2) [i.e., 030813022013; 10113204050] could maybe well per chance no longer be retrieved.

“Besides, the non-public puny print in conjunction with cell phone numbers of the folk allocated the matriculation numbers could maybe well per chance no longer be retrieved from our database.

“Presented below are the info of the fifteen (15) matriculation numbers and names of folk same had been allocated to, as retrieved from our database:

“Daniel Helen Ene, Business Administration; Olasemojo Babatunde David, Banking and Finance; Ogunleye Adebowale Dennis, Banking and Finance; Esika ThankGod, Computer Science; Boyejo Babatope Olumide, Computer Science; Daramola Micheal Oladimeji, Banking and Finance; Aderibigbe Monsurat Tola, Public Administration; Fajumo Eunice Olaoluwatoyin, Banking and Finance; Udoidem Uyobong Pius, Computer Science; Haruna Yusuf Ojo, Monetary Management; Mmaduagwu Angela Ebele, Business Administration; Awhasu Solomon Avoseh, Economics; Kayode Yemisi Abiodun, Business Administration; Tinuoye Temitope Emmanuel, Computer Science; and Adenrele Babtunde Adewale, Computer Science.”

Within the letter signed by the college’s Registrar, Emmanuel Fanu, rather than Mmaduagwu Angela Ebele whose outcomes had already been presented to the Senate, the graduation plight of others read ‘No longer but graduated’.

Interestingly, SaharaReporters also realized that two of these that bought the unfounded degrees are currently doing MBA programmes in the college with the outcomes and the college is attempting to support it hush-hush.

Then every other time, when SaharaReporters known as Amos – one of many contributors of the syndicate arrested by the DSS at the time – he talked about he could maybe well per chance no longer give his response from the build he became once. He promised to call motivate but never did. 

He did no longer retort subsequent calls from SaharaReporters and likewise did no longer retort to the textual inform material message despatched to him.

When SaharaReporters known as the VC, Prof. Olatunji-Bello every other time and every other time, she did no longer retort. She also did no longer retort to a message despatched to her.

University Reacts

Then every other time, Mrs. Oluwayemisi Thomas-Onashile, Coordinator of the LASU Centre for Knowledge and Public Kin, replied to SaharaReporters’ inquiry and denied that the folk enthusiastic had been being shielded by the management.

In step with her, the investigation into the racketeering is unexcited ongoing and the college is fully cooperating with security agents. 

As her response, she wrote, “Most incessantly, in the year 2020, the University realized an incident of admission racketeering animated some of her workers and, alongside with a deepest agent, instituted an investigation on the topic.

“In consequence, the University wrote a petition to the Division of Disclose Security (DSS) for further investigation, and the college gave fleshy cooperation for the investigation.

“Afterwards, the DSS forwarded their anecdote of investigation to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Lagos Disclose Ministry of Justice, Alausa, for advice, and we had been reliably informed that the DPP and the DSS are unexcited engaged on the topic.

“Then every other time, we are conscious that the agent who worked with the University in investigating the topic is the identical agent writing a petition against the college to the Governor of Lagos Disclose, insinuating a conceal-up by the University.

“We mutter unequivocally that the University below this present administration of Prof. Ibiyemi OLATUNJI-BELLO is no longer covering up any particular person or crew of persons.

“If reality be told, to the exact of our info, investigations are unexcited ongoing, and the University is fully cooperating with the law enforcement agencies and officers in the investigation. The allegation of a conceal-up by this administration is no longer correct.

“It is a long way a must-must reiterate that the University has given fleshy strengthen to the DSS to this point. As a consequence of this reality, the insinuation that the University did no longer desire the success of the investigation is no longer tenable. A representative of the University became once unexcited at the DPP’s arena of job final week on the topic, and the of the assembly is being worked on.”

Within the period in-between, from North to South, East to West, there are beneficiaries of the fraudulently obtained LASU degrees in the country, thru the syndicate. SaharaReporters learnt that a lot of the beneficiaries abound at Alaba Market in Lagos. Considered one of them can be Mohammed Garba Gololo, a weak member of the House of Representatives.

It is no longer positive how Garba Gololo, who became once sacked from the House of Representatives in 2019 by the Court of Allure over certificate forgery laid his hands on his; then every other time, efforts made by SaharaReporters to order to him failed as he did no longer retort calls nor retort to a textual inform material message despatched to him.

In a letter dated May maybe per chance merely 4, 2021, and obtained by SaharaReporters, LASU denied issuing a BSc certificate in Business Administration and a Grasp of Business Administration certificate to Gololo.

The letter became once written by Amuni Mohammed Olayinka, Registrar and Secretary to the University Council in accordance with a letter from the Neutral Inappropriate Practices and Diverse Linked Offences Commission dated April 4, 2021.

The ICPC had requested the college to conduct an investigation into Gololo’s academic data.

In step with the letter, the college described the certificates the weak lawmaker became once parading as misleading, in conjunction with that he became once at no time a student of the college.

The letter reads: “The University having long past thru data from Examination and Records Division and Postgraduate Faculty, the next info are hereby offered in appreciate of the 2 [2] Certificates talked about above presented by Mohammed Garba Gololo to Neutral Inappropriate Practices and Diverse Linked Offences Commission:

“B.Sc Certificate in Business Administration presented by Mohammed Garba Gololo neither emanated nor became once it issued by the University and subsequently no longer official.”

“Mohammed Garba Gololo became once never admitted and subsequently no longer enrolled into the Bachelor of Science Stage in Business Administration and Grasp of Business Administration Programmes of the University at any time and place no longer want graduated from Lagos Disclose University as claimed.

“The B.Sc Business Administration with out amount and Grasp of Business Administration Certificate No. 053812 in the title of Mohammed Garba Gololo did no longer emanate nor had been the 2 [2] Certificate issued by the Lagos Disclose University.

“The presented and connected copies of B.Sc Business Administration with out amount and Grasp of Business Administration Certificate No: 053812 presented by Mohammed Garba Gololo are subsequently no longer official.”

In consequence, the ICPC concluded that Gololo had dedicated a prison offence contravening sections 16 and 25 of the ICPC Act, 2000 as well to Portion 364 of the Penal Code, and can be charged accordingly.

Just like the total contributors of the LASU syndicate all in favour of advertising and marketing and marketing degrees, who had been no longer punished in any manner for the prison offence, Gololo walks free.