By Correspondent in Lokoja.
The management of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, has disowned one Comrade Abdulaziz Yusuf Okadigbo, describing him as an impostor who fraudulently posed as a manager of a non-existent centre within the institution.
In a strongly worded statement signed by the institution’s Director of Public Relations and Protocol, Uredo Omale, the Polytechnic clarified that Abdulaziz Yusuf was never an agent, staff, or representative of the institution and had no authority to act on its behalf.
Our reports that the statement was issued in response to what the management described as “fabricated and misleading information” circulated by Yusuf, who allegedly claimed he was arrested for issuing a congratulatory message to a newly appointed official and expressing support for the administration of Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo.
According to the Polytechnic, Yusuf, in connivance with a staff member from the School of Environmental Technology, had been illegally using the institution’s name, logo, and identity used them to solicit funds from international and local organisations, including corporate bodies in the United States, China, Kenya, Sweden, and within Nigeria.
The director said that investigations revealed that the impostor operated under a fake entity called the Environmental Resource Information Centre (ERIC), falsely presented as a legitimate unit of Kogi State Polytechnic.
The polytechnic said it is in possession of documents that show clear intent to defraud by leveraging its reputation, stressing that only its Governing Council has the authority to establish or approve any centre within the institution, and no such approval was ever given to ERIC or to Yusuf.
It described the matter as a “serious breach of institutional integrity, criminal impersonation, and violation of public trust,” adding that it is now under investigation by law enforcement agencies, with the said Abdulaziz Yusuf already arrested.
The management also confirmed that the Polytechnic staff member who allegedly collaborated with the impostor is being subjected to internal administrative processes and could face further legal action.
The institution warned the general public, corporate bodies, and government agencies to disregard any requests for funds or partnerships previously or prospectively made under the name of Kogi State Polytechnic by the impostor or his associates. Such requests, it stated, are “illegal, null, void, and of no consequence.”
Additionally, the Polytechnic cautioned individuals or groups against politicising the issue or attempting to blackmail the institution under the guise of the ongoing investigation.
“The law should be allowed to take its full course without interference, intimidation or emotional manipulation,” it said.
The institution reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, ethical conduct, and cooperation with security agencies to expose and sanction fraudulent activities.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
