The Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, designed to be a centre for community service and entrepreneurship, has recently become a haven for cybercriminal activities, popularly known as Yahoo Yahoo business.
Findings reveal that some students of the institution, have recently become regular visitors at the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Ilorin.
Data collected from EFCC shows that 38 students of KWASU were arrested with some others already convicted to various jail terms between July and September 2021 for internet fraud.
According to the EFCC information, no fewer than a whooping number of 30 students of the institution were on September 20 arrested in a single raid, thereby raising serious concerns among members of the university community.
But while many of the suspects are currently undergoing trial, others with no records of incriminating items or activities have since been released.
A student in the Faculty of Education of the university, who pleaded anonymity, said it was worrisome that the school hitherto 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 this nefarious activity in Malete that attracted others,” she noted.
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, the spokesperson of the institution, Joke Adeniyi-Jackson, said 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 society, while peer pressure could also be the reason for this ugly trend.
“The school management strongly frowns at unwholesome practices and have zero tolerance for social vices, which is vehemently preached against.
“The school management, through its Safety Unit, has programmes designed to sensitise students against social ills, because KWASU has the mandate to produce graduates worthy in learning and character,” she said.
The spokesperson however noted that the process to ascertain the status of the suspects is ongoing and that 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 lives off-campus and as such susceptible to negative influences which are beyond the control of the University.
According to the institution, the Smart City project is expected to accommodate about 20,000 students upon completion.
