A Zamfara state corps member identified as Fidelis Chalokwo has been declared wanted by the Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, over N30m varsity school fees fraud involving 940 students.
The corps member’s act has according to report put the affected 940 students at risk of being sidelined from writing their second semester examination as they have been deemed ineligible by the University’s bursary department to sit for the examination because they had reportedly not yet paid their school fees.
The Students Union Government of the University on Tuesday noted that preliminary investigations into the scam which was estimated to the tune of N30 million revealed that the former student of the university and a serving corps member, Chalokwo allegedly took charge of 70 per cent of the fraud.
The University’s Students Union Government’s Vice President, Abubakar Lawan said: “More than 70 per cent of the students swindled of their school fees said they paid to Fidelis Chalokwo, who is now performing his NYSC programme in Zamfara.”
He further noted that the alleged culprit now wanted for the crime claims he had left the country but the university and the SUG believes he is still in Zamfara state.
Speaking on the scandal, the Dean, Student Affairs, MAUTECH, Yola, Dr. Haruna Lawan, disclosed that over N30m was involved in the scam ading that most of the students involved had given cash to online vendors instead of using their Automated Teller Machine cards to make the paymenr.
The Dean further added that the least of the school fees involved in the scam was N30,700 as other victims paid tuition of as much as N37,800.
Chalokwo however took to his social media page on Facebook to allege that the MAUTECH management was trying to cover up its mismanagement by using the fees belonging to the students to cover up its revenue shortfall.
Chalokwo said: “The university should instead get the incompetent Flexisaf to account for the 940 failed registration rather than its current manhunt for me and my colleagues. But whatever you want to believe, please, note that my colleagues and I successfully paid your fees and registered for your courses for 2016 session.
“Let the FLEXISAF ICT explain the rest. It is a pity that the school bursar or management or whosoever is encouraging the manhunt of students cannot have a deep introspection and get the incompetent FLEXISAF to account for whatever losses the school probably must have recorded. The dubious list of 940 failed registration is the worst conspiracy theory ever.”