2023 UTME: Corps Member Arrested Over Alleged JAMB Registration Infractions

A serving member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has been arrested over alleged infractions during the registration of students for the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry Examinations (DE).

The erring corp member is reportedly serving at the Federal College of Education, Kano. In a statement released on Monday (today), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) said the corps member was arrested alongside other culprits who violated its regulations during the 2023 registration exercise.

In a statement issued and signed by the head of media and publicity, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, JAMB said it would not allow infractions and other forms of impersonation during the joint examination exercise.

While giving details in the statement, the board said, “The 2023 Registration Monitoring Team of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board led by its Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, was in Kano State earlier in the week, where the team nabbed the registration officers of some accredited Computer-Based Test Centres for registration infractions.

“One of the culprits, a corp member, who is serving at the Federal College of Education, Kano, and engaged by the College PTDF-ICT CBT Centre; and a graduate of Engineering, who also works at the Centre as a registration officer, were caught after they had added one of their fingers to complete the ten fingers of some candidates they registered.”

JAMB revealed its team also apprehended four other registration officers at Butale Information Technology CBT Centre. All the arrested registration officers, according to Fabian, would be profiled and prosecuted if necessary in line with relevant laws guiding identity theft.

The board also noted that the team was earlier in Lagos to monitor the registration exercise in the State.

In Lagos, the team ordered the immediate suspension of 4 ePIN vendors for extortion of innocent candidates participating in the ongoing 2023 UTME registration exercise nationwide.

It was also disclosed that “One of the e-pin vendors was suspended for selling registration form ₦7,800 against the approved N5700 by JAMB”.

Meanwhile, the JAMB registrar was said to have frowned at the developments, describing the acts of the vendors as very unfortunate, particularly the involvement of one of the major and otherwise respected banks.

The Board also announced that it would, in conjunction with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and other relevant agencies, continue to monitor the registration exercise across the country to ensure that Nigerians who desire to participate In the exercise are not exploited, frustrated, or misled into mutilating their data.