From sex-for-marks to forced handout sales: Why Kogi Polytechnic suspended 7 academic staff members

• Kogi State Polytechnic suspended seven academic staff members over alleged sexual harassment and illegal handout sales.

• Students accused some lecturers of demanding sexual favours or up to ₦80,000 to influence academic grades, while separate reports raised concerns about cultism on campus.

• The institution says a disciplinary committee is investigating the allegations and will make its findings and any sanctions public after the probe concludes.

Management at Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, has suspended seven academic staff members following student complaints and rising concerns over campus discipline.

The suspensions stem from various allegations of misconduct, including sexual harassment and the unauthorised sale of handouts.

The disciplinary action, confirmed by the institution's spokesperson, John Amos Onimisi, comes amid reports of alleged sex-for-marks practices, financial extortion, cult-related activities and other forms of misconduct that students say have undermined safety and academic integrity at the state-owned polytechnic.

The institution suspended seven academic staff members in total; six over the compulsory and unauthorised sale of handouts and textbooks and one over allegations of sexual harassment.

READ NEXT: Babcock's best-graduating student with a perfect 5.0 CGPA says discipline, not genius, was the real secret

The cases have been referred to the institution's Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee, which will investigate the allegations and recommend appropriate sanctions.

The management said the identities of the affected staff members will remain confidential until the committee concludes its work, as explained in the Kogi State Polytechnic announcement.

The suspensions followed weeks of complaints from students, particularly female undergraduates, who alleged that some lecturers were abusing their positions by demanding money or sexual favours in exchange for passing grades.

Student accounts and media reports alleged that lecturers in the Public Administration and Graphics Design departments were among those linked to the complaints.

Some students claimed they were asked to pay between ₦70,000 and ₦80,000 to avoid failing their courses.

In one widely reported allegation, a female student claimed a lecturer instructed her to pay for and book a hotel room before they could meet.

She further alleged that after reporting the incident to a senior management official, she faced intimidation instead of receiving protection.

READ NEXT: See full list: 19 Lagos public schools receive 1,300 books from Ireland to boost reading culture

In addition to the sexual harassment claim, the polytechnic is tackling the issue of forced handout sales.

The institution suspended six staff members for allegedly requiring students to purchase course materials directly from them, violating a long-standing ban on such transactions.

Because this policy explicitly prohibits staff from selling textbooks and handouts, these allegations represent a serious breach of official regulations, moving the matter beyond a simple ethical dispute.

Whether the allegations are substantiated will now be determined by the Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee.

Alongside the allegations against lecturers, reports of renewed cult-related activities have also raised concerns within the institution.

Students and security personnel reportedly observed increased secret cult activities around the campus in recent weeks.

In one instance, security staff were alerted to suspected initiation rites taking place near a female hostel between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m.

The incident has led to urgent calls for tighter security and more rigorous enforcement of campus regulations.

READ NEXT: Why accident victims beg for water—and why you shouldn't give it to them, according to a nurse

These latest suspensions aren't the first time the institution has had to clamp down on misconduct; they follow a string of previous disciplinary actions where the polytechnic took a hard line against sexual harassment.

One notable case involved Mukhtar Muhammed, an Administrative Officer II.

Although he wasn't a member of the teaching staff, an internal probe found him guilty of sexually molesting a student, leading to his immediate termination.

Similarly, in March 2023, the institution took decisive action against Abutu Thompson Okolo, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Language and Communication.

During its 68th Regular Governing Council Meeting, the school terminated his appointment after an investigation proved he had sexually harassed and victimised a female student from the Department of Computer Science.

Those earlier disciplinary actions were reported by Punch Newspapers and TheCable.

Unlike those concluded cases, the seven academic staff members currently under suspension have not been found guilty of misconduct.

Kogi State Polytechnic says it remains committed to maintaining high ethical standards among its staff.

Spokesperson John Amos Onimisi said the institution has zero tolerance for sexual harassment, academic dishonesty, cult-related activities and other forms of misconduct.

He said the Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee has commenced investigations into the allegations and assured students and the public that the committee's findings and any final disciplinary actions approved by the institution will be made public once the investigation is concluded.

Until then, the seven academic staff members remain suspended pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.