By Dada Ahmed in Lokoja.
Photo credit: Google.
A joint team at Kogi State Polytechnic in Lokoja apprehended three students and five other individuals suspected of affiliations with secret societies and drug trafficking during the ongoing second semester exams for the 2023/2024 academic session in a significant security operation.
Uredo Omale, Director of Public Relations and Protocol at the Polytechnic, disclosed that among the arrested were three HND II students from the Business Administration Department, while the remaining five were non-students based in Abuja, originally from Ekiti State.
The arrests came as part of preemptive measures by the institution to forestall the infiltration of cultists and criminal elements aiming to disrupt the exams.
According to Omale, the suspects had allegedly planned to enter the campus armed with guns and other dangerous weapons, collaborating with cybercrime suspects to create chaos and target specific individuals during what they termed “end-of-exam graduation celebrations,” a practice previously banned due to security concerns.
Leading up to the exams, the Polytechnic had received intelligence reports indicating plans by cybercriminals, cultists, and drug traffickers to import members from other states and institutions to wreak havoc on campus.
She said in response, the management intensified security measures, banning various activities and deploying additional security personnel, including the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and local vigilante groups.
The security strategy include prohibiting students from using cars and motorcycles beyond designated areas, conducting thorough vehicle searches, and deploying plainclothes operatives to monitor unauthorized movements on campus during exams, she explained.
Omale said the crackdown successfully led to the apprehension of the suspects, who were intercepted at the Polytechnic’s main entrance.
Among the items seized, according to her were drugs, cash, and paraphernalia suspected to be associated with cult activities, pointing out that the suspects and seized items were handed over to the Nigeria Police for further investigation and prosecution.
Omale recalled that prior to the current administration, the Polytechnic had been notorious for cult-related violence and criminal activities during exam periods but but that proactive measures implemented in recent years under Professor Salisu Ogbo Usman’s leadership had significantly reduced such incidents, restoring safety and order to the institution.
The Rector, the image maker said,commended the efforts of the Examination Security Management Committee, joint security team, and intelligence units for their swift action in preventing potential threats.
Usman therefore urged students to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities to the authorities, emphasizing a zero-tolerance policy towards criminal behavior on campus.
The Rector also called on parents and guardians to monitor their wards closely and cautioned non-students against involvement in criminal activities within the Polytechnic’s vicinity, warning of severe consequences for offenders.
