UNICAL Suspends Nine Students for Academic Fraud
The University of Calabar (UNICAL) has suspended nine students for two academic sessions following a crackdown on examination malpractice and document forgery. The institution’s management ratified the decision during its 252nd Senate meeting after reviewing reports from disciplinary committees. Five of the affected students were apprehended with unauthorised materials during examinations, while four others were found to have submitted forged academic results. The sanctions take effect from the 2024/2025 academic session.
The purge significantly affected the Faculty of Pharmacy, where five students faced disciplinary action. Those sanctioned include Akwuba Enestina, Udom Bomfon Iboro, and Nwankwo Daniel N, alongside final-year students Ore Kolade Israel and Chisom Modestus Ejafa. The inclusion of 500-level students in the suspension list suggests a zero-tolerance approach, regardless of seniority or proximity to graduation. The university has directed departmental heads to ensure these individuals are barred from all academic activities immediately.
Other faculties were not spared in the senate’s sweeping review of student conduct. Lazarus Victoria Ebogo of the Department of Home Economics and Ele Tina Godwin of Zoology and Environmental Biology were also named in the registrar’s letter. Further suspensions were handed down to Ofem Favour Patrick of Science Laboratory Technology and Makailu Nelly Pamilo from the Department of Linguistics and Communication Studies. The disciplinary move reflects a broader effort by the university to restore the integrity of its degree-awarding process.
Registrar Dr. Chukwuka I. Icha confirmed that the decision followed exhaustive investigations by the Ad-Hoc Senate Committee on Examination Malpractice. The submission of fake results, in particular, has been flagged as a growing concern for tertiary institutions across Nigeria seeking to protect their reputations. By publishing the names and departments of the offenders, UNICAL is signalling that academic dishonesty will carry a heavy public and professional cost.
The Acting Chief Security Officer has been placed on high alert to ensure the suspended students do not gain access to examination halls or lecture rooms. Deans of the affected faculties have also been tasked with auditing their records to ensure no further discrepancies exist. For the suspended nine, the path back to campus will require more than just waiting out the two years; they will likely face heightened scrutiny upon their eventual return.
This enforcement action comes amid a national conversation regarding the falling standards of discipline in Nigerian universities. UNICAL’s management appears determined to position the institution as a vanguard for academic merit. While the suspension of nine students may seem minor in a population of thousands, the targeted nature of the purge, particularly in the medical sciences, sends a blunt message to the wider student body.