The Ekiti State University (EKSU) says students scammed by fraudsters flouted its directive on the mode of payment of fees.

Bode Olofinmuagun, the EKSU spokesman, stated this in a statement on Monday in Ado-Ekiti.

“However, in spite of the above warning and after thorough investigation, it was discovered that the defrauded students disregarded the policy on procedure for payment and on their own volition decided to pay their fees for the 2018/2019 academic session into the personal accounts of the fraudsters rather than the university’s designated and profiled bank accounts,” said a statement by the institution.

Mr Olofinmuagun explained that the clarification became necessary not to mislead and misinform parents and the public on the issue.

He also mentioned that it was in reaction to a recent publication on the fees fraud captioned, ‘EKSU students cry out as varsity voids over N10 million school fees’.

Mr Olofinmuagun added that the affected students disregarded the university’s policy on the procedure for payment of fees.

He explained that the institution had put in place the implementation of an e-collection policy to pay all fees.

The EKSU spokesman added that the policy was part of control measures to check fraud and other irregularities. In line with the policy, the procedure for payment of fees was uploaded on the university’s portal and website.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the procedure includes the use of username and personal password associated with each student. It was clearly stated that the release of username and password to a third party or external person is at the student’s risk,” stated Mr Olofinmuagun. 

During the investigation, revealed Mr Olofinmuagun, some of the defrauded students, made confessional statements. 

“Some of them, after realising their mistakes, had made correct and genuine payments into the university’s designated accounts. It is equally important to let the general public know that the perpetrators of the scam were arrested by a law enforcement agency and later released on bail,” Mr Olofinmuagun added. “The university management wishes to assure that it would cooperate with the relevant law enforcement agencies to ensure that those defrauded get their monies refunded.”

(NAN)