JAMB arrests 25 persons over extortion, illegal registration for UTME

Bwari (FCT) – The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has arrested 25 persons over illegal registration and sales of 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) document.

Dr Fabian Benjamin, Head of Public Relations JAMB, made this known in an interview in Bwari, FCT on Sunday.

The spokesman quoted the JAMB registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede as saying that the individuals arrested were allegedly selling registration materials to the 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates.

The suspects, he said, were arrested by a combined team of Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU); members of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigeria Police Force.

Oloyede said the e-Brochure and e-Syllabus, which were meant to be free were being sold by the culprits as high as N800 each nationwide.

He also said the culprits were extorting money and inflating cost of registration for candidates.

According to the JAMB registrar, among the registration materials being sold by them include copies of the UTME e-Brochure and e-Syllabus.

“Our quality assurance unit, particularly the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit had to go out to see what is happening, following reports of extortion.

“We were having reports that candidates are paying more than the N5,500 that is required.,” Oloyede said.

The registrar said those people arrested were selling documents not meant for sale like some syllabuses that were designed to be given to UTME candidates free.

“Some of them inflated the prices of registration and application documents, so we had to arrest them to show Nigerians that those items were not supposed to be sold.

“The arrest was carried out across the country yesterday April 1, and we have handed them over to the Nigerian Police for onward prosecution, ” he said.

The registrar explained that e-Brochure and e-Syllabus which were meant to be free were being sold at N800 and above nationwide.

He urged applicants seeking to register for the forthcoming UTME to go about their registration in line with due processes, to avoid hitches associated with irregularities.

He noted that JAMB would stick to its stipulated period of one month for outright registration for this year’s examination.

Oloyede said those people complaining of poor internet connectivity may be using old terms.

According to him, many of the business centres who want us to return to the old practice or those who are producing the scratch cards are behind the complaints.

Oloyede also assured all applicants that they would be registered for the exercise before the end of the month.