A 400-level medical student of Delta State University, DELSU, Abraka, in Delta State, has been arrested by the police for allegedly hacking into Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s phone.
The student, who failed in pharmacology and pathology course sent a text message, purportedly from the governor, to the Vice Chancellor, Prof Eric Arubayi, requesting him to upgrade his scores.
Vanguard gathered that enraged Govenor Uduaghan asked the vice chancellor to report the matter to the police and ensure the student was arrested when the matter was brought to his knowledge, as he never sent such message.
The affected student in a statement to the police, however, denied the allegation.
Investigation by Vanguard showed that the matter was causing ripples in the university, as the university authorities, apparently responding to the request, upgraded the score of the student in pharmacology.
The poser by concerned stakeholders is: Assuming, but not conceding that the text message emanated from the governor, should the vice chancellor have altered the scores of a student that failed his examination?”
This is, however, not the first time the governor’s phone had been hacked into by fraudsters. They had hacked into his Airtel and MTN phone numbers in the past as well as his email address.
The first text message to the vice chancellor on July 24 reads: “My able VC, Chief Tony Anenih called me in respect of one boy that just wrote pathology and pharmacology exam in 400 level Medicine. My able Prof, I want you to ensure that boy passes, you know I cannot afford to disappoint Chief Tony Anenih. Am in a meeting. These are the details. CHS/04/05/88406.”
Thinking that the text message was actually from the governor, as it came from the number with which he saved the governor’s name, Uduaghan 1 in his phone, Prof Arubayi replied, asking for the student’s name to which the hacker replied: “His name is Imala W. Kelly. My able VC, all I want is the boy to pass. Chief Tony Anenih has been calling.”
DELSU vice chancellor, Prof Arubayi, confirmed to Vanguard in his office, Monday, that he, in fact, received the said text message and contacted the governor after the scores of students who scored between 48-49 in pharmacology was upgraded to 50 based on standing regulation of the university, “but he denied ever sending me such a text message.”
He said the Academic Board of the College of Health Sciences had met and approved the scores in pathology, which the student scored 46, and there was nothing that could be done about it, other than for the affected person to go for a resit, adding: “That is what I advised the governor.”
Prof Arubayi told Vanguard that it was the Provost of the College of Sciences, Dr. John Ohaju-Obodo, that drew his attention about a week after that a text message, purportedly from the governor, appointing him chairman of a juicy government committee was received by him, but when he contacted the governor, he told him it was a scam.
He said he wasted no time when he confirmed the truth from the governor in summoning the student and handing him over to the police for cyber crime.
“I am even surprised that the police have not charged him to court, as far as I am concerned, this is an EFCC case,” he said.
He said the student was currently facing a disciplinary panel for breach of matriculation oath, but lamented that he had not appeared before the panel.
A university source said the student had been suspended, but as at Monday, he was seen attending lectures and had refused to vacate his room despite orders to that effect from the authorities.
Prof Arubayi laughed when told by Vanguard that he was being accused of examination malpractice, saying, “Did the student give me money to change his scores or is he a girl to say that she is my girlfriend, what was done was based on the regulation of the school,”
Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof Chukwuemeka Peter Aloamaka and provost, Dr Ohaju –Obodo told Vanguard that no unilateral decision was taken by the vice chancellor, as the appropriate organ looked into the matter before upgrading the scores of five to six students based on the institution’s regulation.
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