The Chief Executive Officer of Educare, Alex Onyia, has alleged widespread cases of extortion, sorting and sexual exploitation of students by lecturers in some Nigerian universities, particularly at Abia State University and Imo State University.
Onyia made the allegations in a series of posts shared on X on Friday, May 8, 2026 and Saturday, May 9, 2026 accusing several lecturers of compelling students to pay money for handouts, grades and project supervision, while threatening failure or missing scripts for non-compliance.
Among those named was Professor Innocent Ihechu Paschal (popularly called Madino), identified by Onyia as the Dean of the Faculty of Mass Communication at Abia State University.
According to Onyia, Paschal allegedly extorts students through compulsory handouts and sorting arrangements, while charging as much as N350,000 for project work, after which students are allegedly given materials to copy and submit.
He also accused Dr. Agbai Johnson Ukwa, whom he identified as the Head of the Department of Anatomy at ABSU, of allegedly demanding payments from students before awarding grades, claiming those who fail to comply risk failure or missing scripts.
Another lecturer named in the posts was Dr. KC Izuogo of the Department of Mass Communication, whom Onyia accused of forcing students enrolled in the “Introduction to Advertising” course to purchase handouts for N5,000 and pay an additional N20,000 to secure passing grades.
Onyia wrote, “He forces all his students to pay N5,000 for his handout and extra N20,000 before they can pass the exam or they must fail. He is a bad egg.”
Onyia further alleged that corrupt practices in universities are often coordinated through class representatives who act as intermediaries, collecting cash from students through coded demands such as “prayer point” or “work with,” which he claimed refer to sorting and compulsory handout purchases.
He also alleged that some lecturers engage in sex-for-grades practices, particularly at Imo State University, where he claimed students are often too afraid to speak out for fear of victimisation.
“I’ve received so many disturbing reports about Imo State University. The students’ extortion, sorting and sex-for-grades in that university is on another level,” he wrote.
The Educare CEO said he had held discussions with officials of the Abia State Government, who, according to him, pledged immediate investigations into conditions at ABSU.
He quoted the state team as saying that if investigations reveal systemic corruption requiring the dismissal of “90 per cent of staff” to sanitise the institution, such action would be taken.
Onyia argued that corruption within tertiary institutions contributes significantly to declining educational standards and weakens public trust in institutions.
He further linked the alleged misconduct to concerns over electoral credibility, claiming that some of the same lecturers accused of academic fraud are often engaged as returning officers by Independent National Electoral Commission during elections.
“Sorting is corruption and it has destroyed our society and weakened our education,” Onyia stated.
He contrasted the alleged misconduct with the example of Professor Nnenna Oti, vice-chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri praising her integrity and suggesting that ethical leadership remains possible within the academic system.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the management of Abia State University nor Imo State University had issued official responses to the allegations.
The allegations have since sparked widespread debate on social media, with many users calling for independent investigations and stronger accountability measures across Nigerian tertiary institutions.
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