Two individuals posing as lecturers have been apprehended at Bayero University, Kano (BUK), for deceiving unsuspecting freshmen into purchasing books under false pretenses.
The university’s security operatives arrested David Iluebe from Edo State and Chike Eke from Delta State, who had infiltrated a lecture hall at the Faculty of Engineering and falsely presented themselves as faculty members.
According to a statement released by Bala Abdullahi, Publication Secretary of the Special Bulletin, and on behalf of the university’s Registrar, the impostors introduced a set of four textbooks covering subjects such as Use of English, Statistics, Nigerian People and Culture, and Algebra and Geometry Mathematics.
They coerced the 100-level students into buying the books, threatening that failure to do so would result in poor performance in their Continuous Assessment (CA).
“The apprehensive students present in the hall responded by buying several copies to meet the course requirement,” the statement noted.
The charade came to an end on July 25, 2024, when security operatives arrested the duo following a tip-off. The suspects, during preliminary investigations, admitted to the crimes and revealed that they were driven to this scheme by unemployment. They confessed to having previously attempted a similar scam at Kano State Polytechnic earlier this year.
The books found in their possession were of poor quality and suspected to be pirated, adding another layer of deceit to their actions. “This is a very disturbing emerging trend in our tertiary institutions which are being invaded by crooks and charlatans masquerading as academicians in order to dupe and exploit our unsuspecting students,” the statement added.
The university management has announced that the suspects will be handed over to the police for further investigation and appropriate action. Additionally, Abdullahi emphasized the need for vigilance, urging students and the public to be cautious of such impersonators. He assured that surveillance has been heightened across the campus to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.
“The management of the university, therefore, warns students and the general public to be wary of such impersonators,” Abdullahi stated, highlighting the importance of safeguarding the integrity and security of the academic environment.
