How leaked examination questions rocked Kaduna Polytechnic

A network of staff, colluding with students to leak examination question papers, has taken the centre stage within the Department of Mass Communication of the Kaduna Polytechnic (Kadpoly). This report, grounded in interviews with ex-students of the department and some lecturers, reveals the intricate relationship between staff and students. It unearths a police report that […]

A network of staff, colluding with students to leak examination question papers, has taken the centre stage within the Department of Mass Communication of the Kaduna Polytechnic (Kadpoly). This report, grounded in interviews with ex-students of the department and some lecturers, reveals the intricate relationship between staff and students. It unearths a police report that links examination paper leakage to some staff of Kadpoly, one of Northern Nigeria’s prestigious learning institutions, and raises questions on why the school’s management is yet to take action.

 

Maimuna Kabir (not real name) believes she was unjustly treated by the senate of Kadpoly. In November, 2023, the senate withdrew her Higher National Diploma (HND) certificate three months after she was mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). She was one of 17 students of the Department of Mass Communication that were expelled by the management of the polytechnic over alleged examination malpractice. The school alleged that she was part of a network of students connected to the leakage of examination question papers for HND1 and HND2 in November, 2022.

One year after the 17 students faced a school panel and the Kaduna State Criminal Investigative Department (CID), they were expelled in November, 2023.

Maimuna, however, maintained her innocence: “I almost went crazy. Sometimes I wish the floor will open to swallow me,” she told Daily Trust on Sunday in February. However, when most of the 17 students ran to the media, a scandal ensued and the institution, in March, reversed the expulsion.

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Meanwhile, some lecturers from the department said examination malpractice was deeply rooted in what appeared to be a collaboration between some students, ex-students and staff.

In this investigation, Daily Trust on Sunday reveals that years of malpractice through the leakage of examination question papers have cast a shadow over the credibility of a school that has in the last 68 years earned a name as one of the biggest higher institutions in Northern Nigeria.

How the 2022 malpractice occurred

On November 2, 2022, Maimuna, then an HND1 student, and hundreds of other students from the department sat for their first semester examination.

“Eight days into the exam, a question paper for ‘online journalism’ was leaked in our WhatsApp group,” she said.

The leaked question paper was said to have been posted by a female student identified as Amina Koroka, who multiple sources said immediately deleted it. But she was not fast enough for students with GB WhatsApp; a version of WhatsApp that allows users to download deleted messages. The students downloaded the leaked question paper and began to circulate it.

Mamman Musa (not real name) and James (not real name) corroborated this: “Amina Koroka posted the questions on our class WhatsApp platform,” Musa said.

When Daily Trust on Sunday contacted Amina Koroka, she said she posted the questions believing they were past questions.

“I wish I knew it was a leaked paper. I am not a dull student and I have worked as a reporter for four years. I will not bring myself so low to the level of getting leaked questions paper,” she explained.

But sources within the department told Daily Trust on Sunday that unknown to Amina Koroka, at least six other examination papers had been leaked prior to her post.

Weeks later, the school’s policy and transparency division summoned Maimuna Kabir, Mamman Musa and other students for questioning. The school’s management then constituted an investigation panel comprising the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Kaduna State.

 

Musa explained that seven courses were then cancelled and all HND1 and HND2 students were asked to re-sit the examination.

An ex-student of the department, James (not real name), who graduated in 2022, recalled the chaos the decision generated. He was in HND1 when the incident occurred.

“At that time, there were rumours that there was a connivance with some staff in the department to leak the questions before the examination,” he said.

But in November, 2023, the school’s management expelled 17 students with the exception of Amina Koroka, who at least three of the expelled students accused of leaking the question paper.

How leaked paper emerged from examination office

Ahmed Balarabe, a lecturer with the Department of Mass Communication, was the examination officer in 2022 when the question leaked. He confirmed that the leak emanated from the examination office.

“It was a first semester examination and some papers had been advanced to students who got the benefit of whoever gave it to them; of course, certainly from the exam office, where I worked, before the exams were held,” he said.

Balarabe further said that an anonymous source tipped the Head of Department (HOD), Gambo Ahmed, on the “fourth day of examination” about potential malpractice, which prompted an investigation and that it was discovered that exam papers had been tampered with.

He said poor power supply had necessitated the printing of the exam questions ahead of time, stapling them in envelopes and locking them in his office cabinet.

Balarabe further said that after he discovered an intrusion into his cabinet, he offered to resign as exam officer and surrender himself for investigation but that the HOD prompted him to take immediate action to find those involved.

He noted that there was an earlier attempt to break into his office three months before the examination which prompted him to change the office keys.

This reporter gathered that the policy and transparency division of the school waded in by inviting the HOD, exam officer and other staff and students for questioning. The division cleared the HOD and exam officer from any wrongdoing. The school’s Rector, Suleiman Umar, then pushed for a thorough investigation and the case was handed over to the police in February, 2023.

Balarabe said that the police investigation affirmed the culpability of two academic staff.

Staff questioned but no charges

A staff from the department informed Daily Trust on Sunday that there was a reformation in the department in March, 2022, which exposed wanton exam malpractice. The source, who asked to remain anonymous, said the reform led to changes in the department’s exam office.

Speaking on the malpractice that led to the expulsion of 17 students in 2023, he said the policy and transparency division could not trace the originator of the leaked questions or the staff member involved.

Meanwhile, multiple sources informed Daily Trust on Sunday that the division invited some lecturers for questioning. Among them Jabir Mohammed, a lecturer in the Department of Social Science; Ahmed Balarabe, the examination officer of mass communication; Abbas Mohammed, a former assistant examination officer of mass communication; and Ismail Usman, an auxiliary staff working in the exam office. The sources said though the division was unable to identify any lecturer as directly involved in malpractice, it alleged that Jabir Mohammed, shared invigilation schedules with a lady he was allegedly romantically involved with.

This reporter gathered that Jabir Mohammed is a brother to Abbas Mohammed.

When contacted, Jabir Mohammed asked this reporter to call him back as he was in the middle of a lecture. He was contacted again and he said, “Anything that has to do with this thing (the exam scandal), I have no authority to speak to you on.”

This reporter visited the polytechnic to speak with the Director, Policy and Transparency Division (PTD), Ismaeel Anchau, and he said his principal had not permitted him to speak to the press.

Daily Trust on Sunday also contacted the second investigative committee set up by the polytechnic and headed by the Deputy Rector, Dr Grace Billa. She said, “I will not grant interviews to journalists.”

Police report indicts staff, says monetary inducement behind leakages

Daily Trust on Sunday was privy to the report of the SCID which was submitted to the management of the polytechnic, dated January 12, 2024. The seven-page report followed a letter from the polytechnic on February 21, 2023, to investigate the case of criminal conspiracy, examination leakage and malpractice, signed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), CID, Kaduna, Yusuf A. Ajape. The report confirmed that Amina Koroka leaked the examination question paper in a class WhatsApp group, but noted that she did it innocently, believing that she was posting a past question paper.

Efforts to reach the Kaduna State Police Command did not yield results as the command’s spokesman, Mansir Hassan, failed to respond to calls and messages to his phone. Our correspondent made multiple visits to his office but was told he was not available.

However, according to the police report: “The malpractice mainly originated from some unscrupulous lecturers who, mostly in their attempt to strengthen their relationships with their students, indulge in giving them questions prior to the examination.”

The repote further reads: “Monetary inducement is another factor that facilitated examination malpractice as seen in the case of Ayodeji AY and Yunusa Makarfi.”

Findings revealed that Ayodeji AY appeared on the list of expelled students who were later reinstated. Yunusa Makarfi on the other hand is an alumnus of the Department of Mass Communication.

Daily Trust on Sunday reached out to Ayodeji and Makarfi but they declined to comment.

The police report also indicted Malam Abbas Mohammed and Malam Ismail Usman; two lecturers in the Department of Mass Communication, who it said were involved in the leakage, as well as past leakages.

To get his reaction, Daily Trust on Sunday contacted Abbas Mohammed, but he said the school’s management had reversed the students’ expulsion. When asked about his involvement in the leaked question papers and his indictment by the police, he said their case was ongoing and therefore could not comment on the matter.

The police report equally indicted his brother, Jabir Mohammed, as one who pleaded for “undeserved marks” among his fellow lecturers for his “female friend”, as well as revealed invigilation schedules to her.

When contacted, Jabir Mohammed requested for time to comment. But when this reporter contacted him again, he said he had no authority to speak on the matter.

Meanwhile, Ismail Usman who was identified as an auxiliary staff working in the exam office, failed to respond to calls and an SMS sent to his phone.

Exam act prescribes jail term for lecturers involved in malpractice

Section 1 Sub-s-Section (1) (a), (b), (c), (d) of the Nigeria Examination Act of 2004 specifies that any individual who, with fraudulent intentions or through deceit, acquires or distributes examination papers, whether they are authentic or not, is committing a criminal act. This includes any form of transaction involving exam papers to gain an unfair advantage or financial profit.

Section 1 Sub-Section (2) (a), (b), (c) prescribes stringent penalties for those convicted of such offences, stating that individuals under 18 may face a fine of N100,000 or up to three years in prison or both.

It prescribes stringent measures for educators, invigilators and examination officials, stating that they are subject to a four-year prison sentence without the option of a fine.

Similarly, Section 4 Sub-Section 3.5, 4.5.1, and 4.5.3 of the school’s students’ handbook discourages any form of examination malpractice. It states that students caught cheating face expulsion, while staff members involved in similar infractions are subject to disciplinary action.

Malpractice not new to department – Ex-students

On March 18, 2024, in a letter, by the Registrar of Kadpoly, Muhammed Tanimu, announced that the 17 expelled students had been pardoned and were free to collect their statements of result at the end of the 2024/2025 academic session and were then asked to proceed for their NYSC mobilisation.

The school, however, remained tight-lipped on the fate of the academic staff indicted in the malpractice.

Daily Trust on Sunday visited the school but the Head of Information and Protocol, Abdullahi Muhammed, declined comment and directed this reporter to the school’s registrar, Mohammed Tanimu. While at the registrar’s office, this reporter was asked to wait for hours and later told the registrar could not see him. He was assured that the registrar would call him. This never happened till the time of filing this report. The registrar also ignored calls and an SMS sent to his phone.

Meanwhile, some ex-students from the department told this newspaper that exam malpractice had been prevalent in the department.

Justina Mark (not real name), who graduated in 2022, said the prevalence of examination malpractice frustrated many hardworking students.

“You can imagine, after spending the night reading, some of our colleagues who we know do not read would come out with very high Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA),” she said.

Naziru Ismail (not real name), also an ex-student, said malpractice became visible to him while studying as an ND student in 2019. He, however, said it became very common during his Higher National Diploma (HND).

“We used to see how some students were provided with answer booklets and question papers even before examinations commenced,” he said.

Their testimonies corroborated the findings of the SCID which stated that malpractice/leakage of question papers had become “a common occurrence in almost all examinations across colleges/departments of the polytechnic.”

Expert slams Kadpoly for delaying investigation

An Abuba-based educationist, Morenike St Michael, described the lengthy investigation by the management of Kadpoly as a critical misstep, and slammed the institution for failing to take swift and decisive action.

Morenike, who is a director with an Abuja-based international private school, said, “We have to make an example with a few.”

Speaking on the reinstatement of the expelled students, she said the handling of the matter by the polytechnic was questionable.

“Calling the students back may not in itself be bad if they were not found guilty. But if the students are not guilty, how can the lecturers then be guilty?” she queried.

She noted that the case served as a reminder of the importance of a balanced approach to academic integrity, adding that a thorough investigation was necessary to ensure swift action that would maintain students’ trust and deter future offences.