By Boluwaji Obahopo, Lokoja

The Rector of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, Prof. Salisu Ogbo, has revealed that his administration inherited an institution where cultists operated with impunity and held sway on campus.

Speaking during a press briefing in Lokoja on Tuesday to mark the end of his first tenure as Rector, Prof. Ogbo disclosed that cult groups acted as demi-gods, terrorizing the campus and nearby neighborhoods.

According to him, “The Polytechnic had a deeply disturbing reputation due to these criminal elements. There was a place on campus known as ‘Pipeline,’ which served as a hub for cult activities.”

He recounted an incident involving a student who was apprehended with a gun while coming to write his final examination.

Prof. Ogbo noted that between May 2020 and January 2025, the institution successfully averted 170 security threats through an effective intelligence-driven security network.

On other issues, he revealed cases of academic fraud, saying, “Some individuals used nearby cybercafés to print fake statements of results. We also uncovered cases where certain students were fraudulently running National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes simultaneously.”

The Rector condemned the extortion of students by lecturers, stating that his administration banned the compulsory sale of textbooks.

“Some lecturers made purchasing textbooks mandatory for students as a prerequisite to passing exams,” he said. “This practice discourages reading and fosters insecurity and tribal conflicts on campus. We’ve eradicated this malpractice to sanitize the system.”

Prof. Ogbo, first appointed on February 12, 2021, by former Governor Yahaya Bello, was reappointed by Governor Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo in June 2024, with his second term officially beginning on February 12, 2025.