Abakaliki — Ebonyi State government, Thursday, suspended 15 lecturers of the state’s own College of Education, Ikwo, indefinitely.

Personal Assistant to the state governor on Higher Education, Prof. Mike Itumo,  told newsmen in Abakaliki that the affected lecturers were alleged to possess forged Masters and Doctorate degree certificates.

Itumo said the suspension had been approved by the institution’s disciplinary body and communicated to Governor Martin Elechi, adding that further sanctions would be given to the affected lecturers at the end of a full-scale investigation.

He said: “There is an ongoing investigation into the allegation and, as soon as it is concluded, further sanctions will be announced. Forgery is a criminal offence and our system frowns at it, and so we shall not hesitate to institute criminal proceedings against those found liable.

“We are determined to clean up the augean stable and we will stop at nothing to achieve this.”

He restated government’s determination to make the college a model for teacher education and maintained that plans to upgrade the institution to a degree-awarding college had reached final stage.

The aide warned that government would, henceforth, clamp down on illegal and unapproved satellite campuses and study centres of unrecognised institutions of higher learning operating in the state.