How Undercover Reporter Bagged Varsity Degree Within Six Weeks, Details Emerge

Umar Audu, an undercover journalist, recently provided additional details on the simplicity of obtaining a certificate from a university in Benin Republic within a short span of six weeks.

VerseNews learnt that in his investigative report titled “How Daily Nigerian reporter bagged Cotonou varsity degree in 6 weeks,” Audu uncovered a thriving syndicate involved in the illegal sale of university degrees to interested buyers in Nigeria, operating in neighboring African countries such as Benin Republic and Togo.

Audu revealed that the certificate was effortlessly delivered to the buyer, akin to ordering a pizza, once the payment was made.

“This certificate will be delivered to you just like you ordered for a pizza or something and you give them your location and it is delivered to you. That was what motivated me to conduct this investigation,” he said on Channels Television’s Morning Brief.

Umar Audu, an undercover Nigerian reporter, has been awarded a Cotonou varsity degree within a span of just six weeks. This certificate proudly showcases his accomplishment.

“We have done a similar investigation in the past in 2018, which led to the government taking certain decisions. These things keep going on despite pronouncements by the Federal Government.”

The report contains an interesting detail where the undercover journalist obtained the school’s transcript, which had the genuine scan code of the specific institution in question.

Notably, the certificate and transcript featured the legitimate scan code of Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies (ESGT), located in Benin Republic, and were available at a reasonable cost.

The undercover reporter’s findings led to the suspension of the Federal Government’s accreditation and evaluation of degree certificates from both Benin Republic and Togo, as a result of his investigation.

“I never travelled out of Nigeria during this investigation,” Audu added.

Based on the issued certificate, the journalist initiated his program in 2018 and successfully completed it on September 5, 2022.

Subsequently, he utilized the counterfeit certificate to engage in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program without raising any suspicions.