Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board said on Wednesday that it had withheld 76,923 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results so as to investigate allegations of malpractices surrounding those results.
The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, who disclosed this at a briefing in Abuja, said 1,606,901 results had so far been released, adding that the board would release the results of candidates found innocent among the 76,923 at the end of investigations.
Oloyede, who displayed some evidence of malpractices allegedly recovered from fraudulent candidates, said a date would soon be announced for the 3,811 candidates, who had challenges during the UTME, to sit for the exam.
He stated, “So far, we have released 1,606,901 results of candidates. This was done after 24 hours. We are then left with 80,889 results which have several issues. Out of this number, we have deliberately withheld 76,923 results for further investigation because of alleged malpractices in the centres where the examinations held.
“We do not mean that all of them committed infractions. Those who did may be less than 10 per cent, but pending investigations, the best is to withhold the number. I assure you that the results of those found innocent would be released before the commencement of the admission.”
“Out of the 80,889, others have issues such as biometric verification. Our practice formerly was to allow our workers bypass the verification; but this year, we are insisting that without verification, no results.
“Therefore, presently, 640 candidates are affected because of the fact that some fraudulent centres tampered with their biometric verification. The 640 will be made to sit the exams again, and under my very eyes.”
The JAMB Registrar lamented that some parents connived with computer centres to help their children indulge in examination malpractices, adding that some paid as much as N200,000 for the fraud.
“These malpractices were discovered in candidates’ handkerchiefs, flip flops, hair wigs, and so on. Some CBT centres sent out fake answers and parents paid. JAMB also paid to verify the answers and they were found to be of course fake answers. Parents paid as much as N200,000 for these.
“Let me state that there is re-scheduling of the exams for any candidate who missed the UTME. But those who have correction to make on their data can go to any JAMB office and it would be corrected free of charge,” Oloyede added.
