3rd October, 2021
By Bushrah Yusuf-Badmus
The Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, designed to be a center for community service and entrepreneurship, has recently become a haven for cybercriminal activities, popularly known as ‘Yahoo Yahoo business.’
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), some students of the institution, established in 2009, have in a recent time become visitors at the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Ilorin.
Data collected from EFCC showed that 38 students of KWASU were arrested with some others already convicted to various jail terms between July and September 2021 for internet fraud.
No fewer than 30 students of the institution were also arrested on the 20th of September in a single raid, thereby raising serious concerns among members of the university community.
A student in the Faculty of Education of the university, who pleaded anonymity, told NAN that it was worrisome that the school known for discipline and community development, was now identified with the scourge of cybercrime.
“It is a source of worry to us that KWASU has become a safe environment for this.
“Meanwhile, it is the lifestyle of the few students that first started these nefarious activities in Malete that attracted others,” the student stated.
Such lifestyle, the student asserted, was serving as an inducement to others as they lived beyond the means of normal students.
The source added that it assumed the magnet of encouragement to those who were not contented to join the crime, making their number increase by the day.
Reacting to the development, Mrs. Joke Adeniyi-Jackson, the Chief Information Officer, University Relations, told NAN that it was a reflection of what was happening in the larger society.
She however regretted that the ‘get rich quick’ syndrome among youths has eaten deep into the fabric of the society, while peer pressure could also allude to this ugly trend.
”The school management strongly frowns at unwholesome practices and has zero tolerance for social vices, which is vehemently preached against.
”The school management through its Safety Unit has designed programs to sensitize students against social ills because KWASU has the mandate to produce graduates worthy in learning and character,” she said.
The chief information officer however noted that the process to ascertain the status of the suspects is ongoing and any student found guilty of the crime would automatically lose his or her studentship.
”Furthermore, a major step the school management is taking is to accommodate as many students as possible on campus through the Students’ Smart City Project.
”This will enable close monitoring of students because, currently, a large percentage of the student population are living off-campus and as such susceptible to negative influences which are beyond the control of the University.
”So, the Smart City project which has commenced, is expected to accommodate about 20,000 students upon completion,” said Adeniyi-Jackson who spoke for the Director, University Relations, KWASU, Mr. Abdulrazaq Sanni.