Benjamin Babine, Abuja
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has disclosed that, following intelligence received on criminal activities, it has arrested a group of people involved in the advertisement and sale of completed academic projects to students online.
The Commission, which made this known through a statement signed by its spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogogua, said the accused persons allegedly package and market plagiarised academic projects to desperate students to assist them unlawfully fulfil the requirement for the award of different degrees across the country.
‘Investigations revealed that some of the culprits of the online project scam were resident at Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu and Anambra States. Ten suspects were arrested, out of which six have been released on bail, while the remaining four who were seriously implicated in the matter are still assisting the Commission with useful information,’ Ogogua said.
‘Items seized from the suspects for forensic analysis – laptops and mobile phones – will be returned to the suspects after investigations provided they are not required as exhibits. The arrest was a result of ongoing inter-agency collaboration between the ICPC and the National University Commission (NUC) aimed at putting an end to the fast-rising scam on academic projects on the internet,’ ICPC said.
The Commission went on to advise Nigerian students not to fall prey to the ploy by fraudsters on the internet, warning that anyone caught using their sites would not be spared. It stressed that they will bring to bear appropriate laws against plagiarism and examination malpractice.