The Senate of Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Anyigba, Kogi State, has approved the expulsion of six students over examination malpractice.
Nine other students have also been withdrawn from the university for poor academic performance and failure to meet registration requirements.
This was disclosed in a statement by the university’s Public Relations Officer, Uredo Omale, following the Senate’s 167th Regular Meeting held on August 26, 2026.
The six expelled students, all 100-Level students of the Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, were caught rewriting their Introduction to Plant Science (BOT102) examination at the private residence of their lecturer, Dr Maji Okpanachi.
Omale said the incident came to light after security operatives received credible information that the examination was being conducted at the lecturer’s residence, leading to the arrest of the lecturer and the affected students on July 1.
Investigations by the Examination Misconduct Committee confirmed that the students each paid N10,000 to rewrite the examination, days after it was originally conducted.
According to the statement, “The committee report further confirmed the security report as well as the confessional statements by the Lecturer and the students involved and other available records, that some students re-wrote the examination at the lecturer’s residence, days after the examination was written.”
The Senate has approved the referral of Dr Okpanachi to the Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee for appropriate action.
Of the nine students withdrawn, six failed to register for two consecutive semesters, while three others were withdrawn purely on academic grounds.
The Senate also referred the case of Jude Itodo, another 100-Level student in the same department, back to the Examination Misconduct Committee for further investigation.
Reacting to the decisions, the Vice-Chancellor and Chairman of Senate, Prof. Salisu Ogbo Usman, reaffirmed the university’s commitment to maintaining high standards of academic integrity and discipline.
He stressed that the university would not tolerate any act capable of compromising the credibility of its academic and examination processes.
Prof. Usman commended the committees involved for their thorough investigation and urged students to remain focused on their studies and comply fully with the university’s academic regulations.
The affected students have been directed to surrender all university property in their possession, including identity cards, before exiting the institution.
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