Lafia — Eighty persons illegally stayed as students and reached up to the third year of study at the Nasarawa State University in Keffi, an investigative report said, leading to the firing of three staff members indicted in the admissions racket.

The eighty had their names added on the admission lists sent to various departments during the 2009 admissions exercise, even though they had no proper records like matriculation numbers at the admissions office, further inquiries by Daily Trust have shown.

A panel headed by Dr. Omale Ibrahim, Dean of the Faculty of Administration, was set up by the university authorities after complaints of admissions scams, and the panel discovered the illegal students.

"Our panel carried out an investigation, and we made our report available to a disciplinary committee," Ibrahim told Daily Trust in Keffi.

Asked for a reaction, spokesman for the university Jamil Zakari confirmed the discovery of the illegal students and added that authorities had issued a circular disowning any student who entered the university through irregular means.

Such students would not graduate at the end of their purported undergraduate programmes, Zakari said.

He said three university staff were identified as being behind the shady admission deals and were sacked.

Zakari said the management had taken some steps in dealing with admission racketeering, leading to the busting of a racket whose kingpin was arrested.

He said also that a fake university website was discovered where admissions were offered to unsuspecting candidates. About 200 students were given illegal admissions through the website, he added.