from EMEKA OKONKWO in Abuja, Nigeria
ABUJA, (CAJ News) – NIGERIAN authorities have smashed a syndicate believed to behind the sale of plagiarised academic projects to university students across the country.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) this past weekend arrested ten suspects behind the scandal.
It is believed they package and market plagiarised academic work to desperate students to assist them fulfil the requirement for the award of different degrees.
The suspects have been arrested in the southern states of Anambra, Cross River, Ebonyi and Enugu.
Six suspects have been released on bail while others seriously implicated in the matter were still in the custody of the ICPC.
Items seized from the suspects for forensic analysis include laptops and mobile phones.
The arrest was a result of ongoing inter-agency collaboration between the ICPC and the National University Commission (NUC), aimed at putting an end to the fast-rising scam on academic projects on the internet.
Azuka Ogugua, spokesperson of the ICPC, advised Nigerian students against falling prey to the ploy by fraudsters on the internet.
“Anyone caught patronizing their sites will not be spared as the commission will bring to bear appropriate laws against plagiarism and examination malpractice on them,” Ogugua said.
Forging education certificates is problem in Nigeria.
Even several politicians in the West African country have been embroiled in scandals involving fake certificates.
– CAJ News
