May 20, 2026
The management of Abia State University (ABSU) has suspended a senior faculty member in its Department of Mass Communication, Dr. KC Izuogo, following grave accusations of credential fraud, financial exploitation of students, and systematic victimization.
The disciplinary action comes on the heels of an earlier report on EduCeleb.com that brought to light alleged entrenched corruption within certain academic departments at the institution.
Education advocate Alex Onyia, who posts under the handle @winexviv, disclosed the development on Tuesday via X. He indicated that a probe initiated by the Abia State Government had revealed that the lecturer’s academic qualifications were not genuine.
Onyia did not mince words in his public statement, describing the suspended lecturer as “very corrupt and wicked to students.” He further elaborated on the alleged extortion scheme: “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.”
Perhaps more damning were the revelations about Izuogo’s academic background. According to Onyia, the lecturer had been functioning for years despite possessing what he characterised as “Fake WAEC, Fake Bsc, Fake PhD.” Onyia expressed disbelief at the situation, noting that “a lecturer without a WAEC certificate has been tormenting students for several years.”
The state government, Onyia suggested, is now taking a harder line. “Abia State Government have intensified their investigations,” he wrote. “All fake certificate holders will be fished out and suspended.” He added that the administration intends to tackle the full spectrum of academic malpractice at the university, promising that “all forms of sorting, victimisations, sex for grades, extortions will be addressed and stopped.”
Onyia framed the ongoing reform effort in ambitious terms, predicting that “by the time they are done, Abia State University will operate at the same quality level with that of top African universities.”
This latest suspension follows a pattern of alleged misconduct that had been previously documented. In April, the publication gathered testimony from students, parents, and insiders who described what they called a “coordinated and institutionalised system of fleecing students.” According to these accounts, lecturers allegedly refused to mark examination scripts until students paid fees, and compelled them to purchase electronic study materials at exorbitant prices—sometimes as much as N6,000 for PDF handouts distributed through WhatsApp.
Students also reported being falsely told their exam scripts were missing after they had already sat for tests, then being pressured to pay up to N20,000 in “sorting” fees to avoid receiving failing grades. One source quoted by SaharaReporters stated plainly: “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.”
The problem was said to be especially prevalent among 200-level students in the Mass Communication department, with one allegation claiming that lecturers instructed course representatives to collect money from classmates and pocket an additional N200 per student as a service charge.
The financial pressure has drawn concern from parents and community members already struggling with economic hardship. A resident of Abia State, speaking to SaharaReporters, called the situation “completely out of control” and warned that students were being driven to desperate measures just to survive academically.
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