University Suspends Senior Lecturer Accused Of Extorting Students, Using Fake Doctorate Certificate
University Suspends Senior Lecturer Accused Of Extorting Students, Using Fake Doctorate Certificate
According to Onyia, the suspended lecturer allegedly operated for years without a valid WAEC certificate while tormenting students through extortion and forced payments.
The management of Abia State University has reportedly suspended a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Dr. KC Izuogo, following allegations of extortion, victimisation of students and certificate forgery.
The latest development comes weeks after SaharaReporters exposed alleged systemic corruption and widespread extortion within some departments of the university, particularly the Mass Communication and Electrical Engineering departments.
In a post shared on Tuesday via X, education advocate Alex Onyia, with the handle @winexviv, alleged that investigations by the Abia State Government uncovered that the lecturer’s academic credentials were fake.
According to Onyia, the suspended lecturer allegedly operated for years without a valid WAEC certificate while tormenting students through extortion and forced payments.
“This is Dr. KC Izuogo from Dept of Mass Communication at Abia State University,” Onyia wrote.
“He is very corrupt and wicked to students.
“Students must buy his handout for N5,000 and also sort the course with N20,000. If you don’t do it, you must fail the course.”
The activist further alleged that the lecturer possessed “Fake WAEC, Fake Bsc, Fake PhD,” adding that the state government had intensified investigations into fake certificate holders within the university system.
“A lecturer without a WAEC certificate has been tormenting students for several years,” Onyia alleged.
“Abia State Government have intensified their investigations.
“All fake certificate holders will be fished out and suspended.
“All forms of sorting, victimisations, sex for grades, extortions will be addressed and stopped.”
He added that authorities were determined to reform the institution and restore academic standards.
“By the time they are done, Abia State University will operate at the same quality level with that of top African universities,” he stated.
SaharaReporters had in April reported allegations by students, parents and insiders accusing lecturers in ABSU of running what sources described as a “coordinated and institutionalised system of fleecing students.”
Multiple sources had alleged that lecturers demanded money from students before marking examination scripts, while students were also forced to purchase electronic handouts at inflated prices.
According to the earlier report, some lecturers allegedly charged students as much as N6,000 for PDF handouts distributed through WhatsApp groups.
Sources also alleged that students who had already sat for examinations were falsely accused of not participating in exams or having missing scripts and then pressured to pay up to N20,000 in “sorting” fees to avoid carryovers.
“The lecturers will collect money to mark scripts. This is not something hidden anymore — it is now a system students are expected to comply with,” a source had told SaharaReporters.
Another source alleged that the extortion was particularly rampant among 200-level students in the Mass Communication department.
“The lecturers tell the course reps to enforce collections and even add N200 per student as their own service charge,” the source had alleged.
Parents and concerned residents had also lamented the financial burden imposed on students amid worsening economic conditions.
A concerned indigene of Abia State had described the situation as “completely out of control,” warning that students were being pushed into desperate situations to survive academically.
