Babcock University has publicly disowned a certificate circulating online that purports to have been issued in its name, describing the document as fraudulent and warning that those involved in producing or distributing it could face criminal prosecution.
The university’s public notice, dated June 29, 2026, was prompted by the circulation of what was described as an Honorary Certificate purportedly awarded by the Babcock University Biochemistry Computer Club to one Oderhohwo Joseph Efe in recognition of achieving a First Class Upper. The institution said the document did not come from it and could not have, for reasons that go beyond a simple denial.
Two specific problems with the certificate expose its origin immediately. Babcock University does not issue honorary certificates recognising undergraduate academic performance. And the classification First Class Upper does not exist in its academic records. The correct classification is First Class Honours, a distinction that appears only on degree certificates and academic transcripts issued through the Office of the Registrar. Any document using different terminology is, by that fact alone, not a Babcock University document.
The university advised employers, educational institutions, professional bodies, government agencies, and members of the public to disregard any academic document purportedly issued by Babcock outside its established processes. It also directed anyone seeking to verify credentials to contact the Office of the Registrar directly before relying on documents for official purposes.
Producing, circulating, presenting, or using forged academic documents exposes individuals to investigation and potential charges under laws relating to forgery, fraud, and the falsification of academic records. That the university chose to name the individual on the certificate in its public notice is itself a signal of how seriously it is treating the matter.
Babcock’s public response ensures that anyone who encounters the document now has a clear institutional record against which to check it.
