Fake Lecturers Exposed in BUK: Disturbing trend in Nigerian tertiary institutions
In a shocking incident at Bayero University, Kano (BUK), security operatives have apprehended two individuals masquerading as lecturers and coercing 100-level students into buying substandard textbooks. The fraudsters, identified as David Iluebe from Edo State and Chike E. Eke from Delta State, were caught selling books and threatening students with academic penalties if they did not comply.
The duo, posing as legitimate faculty members in the Faculty of Engineering, deceived students and by presenting a set of four textbooks on Use of English, Statistics, Nigerian People and Culture, and Algebra and Geometry Mathematics. Their scheme was uncovered when vigilant security officers, acting on a tip-off, arrested them on July 25, 2024.
When Neptune Prime contacted the Public relations officer, (PRO) of BUK, Lamara Garba, he disclosed that the suspects admitted that financial hardship drove them to impersonate lecturers and sell pirated books. This incident is their second known attempt, having previously targeted Kano State Polytechnic earlier this year.
The books found in their possession were of poor quality, indicating they were pirated. This case highlights a growing concern in Nigerian higher education: the infiltration of academic institutions by fraudsters seeking to exploit students.
READ ALSO: Man poses as lecturer, steals new students phones during fake test
Bala Abdullahi, Secretary of the Information and Publication Unit of the Acting Registrar, emphasized the gravity of the situation in a statement released to journalists. He assured the public that the university is taking steps to prevent such incidents, including increased surveillance and student awareness programs.
“The Management of Bayero University, Kano, wishes to inform students and the general public to be wary of such impersonators,” Abdullahi stated. “Surveillance has been beefed up to avert the reoccurrence of such an ugly incident.”
The suspects were handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution, Neptune Prime learned. All efforts to reach the police PRO in Kano prove abortive, as at the time of compiling this report.
It could be recalled that, Neptune Prime reported a similar incidence where one Muhammad Shamsi, from Sokoto State, was arrested for posing as a lecturer at FCE Bichi in Kano State. He entered a Business Education lecture, announced an impromptu test, and collected students’ phones to prevent cheating. Shamsi then told the class representative he was going to retrieve his laptop and fled with the phones.
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