They Manipulated the Portal to Steal Our Loan Refunds, Students Allege at Usmanu Danfodiyo University

Students of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) have accused the institution’s management of manipulating the school portal to divert Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) refunds, raising fresh concerns over transparency in Nigeria’s student loan scheme.

Multiple students told reporters that while NELFUND had already disbursed the approved refunds to the university on their behalf, they were shocked to find the money missing when they checked their school accounts.

According to the students, the scheme allegedly involved fraudulent adjustments of portal balances, which made it appear as though debts had been cleared when, in reality, the funds had been siphoned.

The allegations have fueled anger on campus, with several students demanding accountability and calling for NELFUND to conduct an independent audit of the university’s handling of the funds.

The controversy comes at a time when NELFUND, launched by the federal government to expand access to education financing, is under intense scrutiny over delayed disbursements and implementation flaws nationwide.

As of press time, the university management had not publicly responded to the allegations, and efforts to obtain an official statement were unsuccessful.