Abia State Polytechnic has recovered more than N43 million from students who faked the school’s receipts, Ezionye Eboh, the Acting Rector, has said.

Mr. Eboh, while briefing journalists in Aba, Abia, on the latest development in the institution, said that more than 700 students were involved in the act of obtaining fake receipts from unauthorised sources.

He said that the students would be punished, to serve as a deterrent to others.

Mr. Eboh also said that the Police had arrested a woman who operates a business centre near the polytechnic for allegedly issuing students with fake receipts.

He said that the woman worked for a lecturer and that she was collecting N10,000 and issuing fake stamped receipts to the students, thereby aiding them to evade payment of N50,000 school fees.

According to the rector, management discovered the forgery when it made it mandatory for students to show their school fee receipts before writing examinations.

He said that the lecturer had been suspended and that the students involved in the act were being investigated.

On the issue of the redeployment 10 nurses working in the school clinic, Mr. Eboh said that the development was due to the intervention of the governor.

“If it was not for the intervention of Gov. Ikpeazu, we would have sacked them. But he said they should be retained but re-assigned to places where their services would be needed.”

He said it was mind-boggling to employ such a large number of such senior nurses earning handsome salaries, in a non-residential campus.

He said that following their redeployment, the institution was saving N34 million per annum, adding that by plugging several loopholes, the institution had paid five months of 2016 salary arrears.

Meanwhile, the Abia Police Public Relations Officer, Geoffrey Ogbonna, confirmed to the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday that the name of the woman connected with the fake receipts was Caroline Augustine.

He said Ms. Augustine had been charged to court and also identified the owner of the business centre as Alwell Nwachukwu-Njoku.

(NAN)