2018 UTME: JAMB explains withholding results of over 100,000 candidates

The spokesperson for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Dr. Fabian Benjamin, has said that the results of 111,981 candidates who participated in this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) were earmarked for further screening over suspicion they engaged in examination malpractices.

According to him, “Some of the malpractices were centre-induced,” Mr. Benjamin said. “So entire centres were cancelled. Some are individual cases. There are centres that colluded with candidates. Maybe their owners collected monies from the candidates and were dictating answers. They were caught on camera.

“There were candidates who went into the examination halls with materials that were banned. Telephone handsets and other materials were found on some of them.

“There were even candidates who attempted to change the IP addresses of the computer systems assigned to them.”

JAMB had installed CCTV cameras in all centres used for the examination, and proceedings at the centres were closely monitored from a control room at the board’s headquarters in Abuja.

Benjamin said all cases of malpractices, including those caught on cameras, were being scrutinised and that JAMB would ensure that everyone who violated the rules of the examination were punished.

On if the results of some of the affected candidates might eventually be released, the spokesperson said, “I can’t say. It depends on the outcomes of the investigations. We are being fair and diligent in the screening to ensure injustice is not done to anyone.”

JAMB had on Sunday announced the release of results of 1,502,978 candidates after considering reports from its supervisors, monitors and other independent Nigerians who it said took interest in promoting the quality of public examination in Nigeria.

A total of 1,652,825 candidates registered for the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), with 350 of them being visually-challenged.