By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja
Kogi State Polytechnic has confirmed the arrest of one Abdulaziz Yusuf Okadigbo, who allegedly used the institution’s name and logo to fraudulently solicit funds from international bodies and corporate organizations.
In a statement issued Thursday in Lokoja, the institution’s Director of Public Relations and Protocol, Uredo Omale, said Okadigbo had been impersonating the Polytechnic through a fictitious outfit called the Environmental Resource Information Centre (ERIC)—a non-existent body allegedly created to deceive organizations.
According to Omale, Okadigbo, along with an accomplice believed to be an insider, had reached out to prominent institutions like Dangote Cement, as well as companies in the United States, China, Kenya, and Sweden, requesting funds under false pretenses.
The suspect has been taken into custody and is assisting with investigations, while the Polytechnic is probing the alleged insider for possible administrative sanctions and legal action.
“This act is criminal, and we disassociate ourselves entirely from it,” Omale said. “Any request for support—financial or otherwise—purportedly coming from our institution or bearing our logo through Mr. Okadigbo or his cohort should be ignored.”
She described all such solicitations as null, void, and illegal, reiterating that Kogi Polytechnic remains committed to transparency and ethical standards in all its operations.
The institution also pledged to continue working closely with security agencies to uncover and prosecute fraudulent activities.
Okadigbo had earlier claimed that his arrest was politically motivated, allegedly linked to a congratulatory message he sent to a government appointee. But the Polytechnic dismissed the claim as a smokescreen to divert attention from the fraud case.
