Dean of Student Affairs Sacked in Connection to Certificate Racketeering

The management of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, has removed the university Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Tajudeen Olumoko.

Professor Tajudeen’s removal was in connection with an extensive report on certificate racketeering in the state university.

A source in the university confirmed the Dean’s sack to PUNCH on Wednesday morning, revealing that a senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Dr Abiodun Fatai-Abatan, had been appointed as acting DSA.

“Yes, it is true, Olumoko has been removed and Abatan has taken over as DSA. This happened yesterday, (Tuesday),” the source was quoted.

SaharaReporters had exclusively reported how a degree could be bought for between N2 million and N3 million from some workers in the university.

The newspaper also reported that in 2020-2021, a sting operation spearheaded by the school management at the time and the Department of State Services (DSS) exposed certificate racketeering in the school and succeeded in getting confessions from some members of the syndicate.

Sadly, sources said it all ended with the administration of Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun as Vice-Chancellor.

His successor, Prof Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, has shown no interest whatsoever in weeding out the bad eggs in the school system, a security source privy to the investigation had told SaharaReporters.

Reporters learnt that some of the members of the degree-awarding syndicate had since been promoted and in a few cases risen to become professors in the school.

Sources in the DSS told newsmen that the sting operation which was highly detailed and included the use of body cameras and other gadgets started in 2020 and culminated in the arrest and grilling of a few members of staff.

Some of the members of the syndicate who wrote confessional statements at the DSS in Lagos include 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 have genuine Lagos State University certificates that anyone interested can purchase for between N2 million and N3 million, depending on the technicality of the course involved,” one of the sources said.

“Once they have their client, the only things they will ask from the client are money and their O-level certificate. They check the number of credits you have. That will determine the course they will recommend. As professionals, they know the course you should do or the degree you should go for once you have this or that. Once that is settled, they have members of the syndicate in the ICT department of the school who will input the person’s date into the server. They collect the money and input all your scores, and after, it will be posted on the server of the university.

“Once you go to the school’s server with the matric number generated for you, you get the name and details of the student there as an authentic student.”

Newsmen learnt that during the sting operation, money was paid separately and at different times to Daniel Amos and Akindele Qudus Tunde for two degrees, one in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management.

Amos charged N2 million for the Industrial Relations and Personnel Management degree for one Adewoye Michael – whose O-level result was used but he was already a graduate of another school at the time. Within three days, the profile of Adewoye Michael including a newly generated matric number and fake results from Year 1 to final year had been uploaded on the school’s server.

SaharaReporters reported that the Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday deliberated on the report on certificate racketeering at the state university (LASU) and invited the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Tolani Akibu, and the school’s vice-chancellor, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, among others.

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