By Bisi Oladele and Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan
Six members of staff of the Distance Learning Centre (DLC) of the University of Ibadan (UI) arrested by the Department of State Service (DSS) have been released on bail, The Nation has learnt.
This came just as the centre vowed to tighten its internal operations to prevent fraudulent staff and students from perpetrating cheating within the system.
The Nation gathered that the DSS arrested the suspects on receiving petitions from concerned students, who were in the knowledge of the fraudulent activities of the suspects.
The suspects were arrested last week over alleged offences detailed in the petition sent to the agency. The offences include smuggling scripts to students during examinations, fabricating Computer Based Test results and falsifying clearance for students, who are not qualified for it.
But a source within the university told The Nation that the suspects regained their freedom from the DSS on Monday while investigations continued.
The Director of the centre, Prof. Oyesoji Aremu, yesterday, also confirmed their release, saying the university was awaiting the report of the DSS, which would strengthen the work of the internal disciplinary committee of the institution.
He said the procedure would commence once the DSS report had been received.
Meanwhile, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ibadan Chapter, yesterday said none of its members was involved in alleged examination malpractices in the institution’s Distance Learning Centre (DLC).
Reacting to media reports on the matter, Chairman, ASUU UI chapter, Prof. Deji Omole, said that the suspects arrested by the operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) were non-academic staff in the technical unit of the DLC.
ASUU said no single academic staff of the institution was involved in examination malpractices at the DLC of the university.
Omole, however, deplored the information sent to the media by the office of the Director of Public Communications of the university claiming that six lecturers were arrested by the DSS over their alleged involvement in examination malpractices.
The ASUU president specifically lashed out at the university’s Director of Public Communications, Mr. Olatunji Oladejo, who was quoted by the media reports, as misinforming the public.
of the city, to the DSS.
The officers involved in the alleged examination malpractices at the centre include Edward Eborgu (Head of UI DLC Software Unit), Kehinde Ajao (Head Student Support), Shola Akintunde (Executive Officer and Media Representative), Ademola Okunola (IT personnel), one Lanre (IT personnel) and a certain David in the director’s office.
They were all among those arrested for their involvement in alleged examination malpractices.
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