Allegations of foul play trails expulsion of First Class Lokoja Varsity Student

NEWS DIGEST – The authorities of the Federal University, Lokoja have been accused of foul play in the expulsion of a first class student of the University.

A post by top social media influencer, Mr. Abdullahi Haruspice accused the University of expelling students for exposing the leakage of an examination question with led to cancellation of a paper.

The journalist accused the Vice Chancellor of aiding corruption and called on Nigerians to kick against this.

The authorities of the Federal University, Lokoja,  expelled 13 final year students, including one with first class GPA, over alleged leakage of question papers that rocked the institution during the second semester examination in November last year.

See full article below:

The unimaginable tales in the Federal University Lokoja; time to act is now… By Abdullahi O Haruna Haruspice

A classical case of corruption fighting back is the ugly debacle going on in the Federal University Lokoja. Some students who took it upon themselves to expose certain ills in the department of economics are today been hunted and gravely victimized for blowing the whistle on examination malpractices.

According to our findings, a paper leaked and a few students defined by integrity and sense of honesty decided to bust the leakage. The department acted swiftly by canceling the said paper. Typical of a working institution anywhere, a judicial panel of inquiry was set up

to establish the remote and immediate cause of the leakage. The students that exposed the sham were invited to give their submissions, the top best students in the 400 level class also gave their insights as well as the students ‘ leader of the department of economics.

The panel narrowed its findings to administrative inefficiency, corruption and leadership failure. The leakage obviously happened because some staff members lowered their standings by compromising integrity and academic creeds. Amongst other things, gross indiscipline, sexual engagements and misconduct manifested significantly in the remote cause of the quagmire in the department.

The real story is this however, the panel recommended that the people involved be sanctioned but the vice- chancellor thought otherwise. According to her, everyone

including those who reported the malpractice, testified to the panel should be expelled!

Amongst the expelled students is the best student in the department with a CGPA of 4.98 — a potential first class candidate with a semester to graduate, the departmental students ‘

president.

This is what fighting corruption can wrought, a people defined by character decided to come out plain by reporting ills of the department instead of be decorated with the medal of honour for integrity and character, they are handed summary expulsion. This is not just unheard-of but totally insane and unacceptable. Society in need of urgent reforms in her polity can not decide to keep shut in the face of this heinous dispensation of justice. The right-thinking member of the public must rise up to this murder of goodwill. These heroic students must not be left to the tyranny of an unjust society. The vice-chancellor must tell

the world her rationale for punishing those students who chose the template of honour instead of deceit.

This is not a burden for the expelled students but acollective burden on our conscience that we allow such a murder of good deed by official tyranny. The anti-corruption agencies must hear this murder in the Federal University Lokoja, civil society organisations must not be

left out in this sham and the president must be aware that those he gave responsibilities to are sabotaging his advocacy of whistle blowing against corruption.

This injustice must not be swept under the carpet, we can do our bits by sharing and tagging this piece to the relevant authorities, persons and stakeholders concerned.

Tyrannically musing

However, the University is yet to react to this allegation.