The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has attributed the low turnout recorded during Saturday’s nationwide mop up Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to intensified security measures aimed at exposing impersonators and examination fraud syndicates.
JAMB Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, who monitored the exercise at the Technology Computer Based Test Centre in NAF Valley Estate, Abuja, said only about 12 percent of the 98,232 registered candidates sat for the examination.
“Ordinarily, we conduct mop up exams for about 4,000 to 5,000 candidates who miss the main UTME due to illness or verified technical issues,” he told journalists. “But this year, we decided to give a second chance to all absentees, regardless of the reason.”
Oloyede explained that the board’s decision to expand access to the mop up exam was also strategic, aimed at exposing those attempting to undermine the examination process. The initiative, he said, was carried out in collaboration with security agencies, including the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police.
“We knew what we were doing. By keeping the door open, we created a trap for fraudsters. The low turnout only confirmed our suspicions,” he said.
According to him, several CBT centres that had prepared for 250 candidates per session recorded fewer than 20 participants, a situation he said underscored the effectiveness of JAMB’s intelligence driven operation.
“What we are dealing with are organised rings, mostly unregulated tutorial centres and private school operators, who have turned exam malpractice into a business,” he said.
Oloyede also disclosed that 1,787 candidates had falsely declared themselves as albinos in an attempt to beat JAMB’s biometric verification system.
“We typically have fewer than 100 albino candidates in any given year. This time, one centre alone registered 450,” he said.
He explained that the false declarations were an attempt to exploit weaknesses in facial recognition technology, which may struggle with certain pigmentation features associated with albinism.
“Syndicates were blending photos by merging facial features of two different people to deceive our AI systems. One of the suspects in custody admitted to the method,” he said.
JAMB’s investigation later confirmed that the number of genuine albino candidates was fewer than 250. He cited a case in Benin City where a dark-skinned man was arrested for falsely claiming to be albino.
“That tells you how desperate and creative these impersonators have become,” he added.
The JAMB boss assured that those who failed to attend the mop up exam after falsely claiming exclusion from the main UTME would not go unpunished, as the board already had their details including names, schools, phone numbers, and National Identification Numbers.
“Security agencies are capable of tracking them, and arrests are already underway,” he said.
Oloyede further warned that parents found to be financing or facilitating their children’s involvement in examination malpractice would also face investigation and possible prosecution.
Although the results of the mop up examination were expected to be released on Saturday, he said the board might delay publication until Monday to allow for proper scrutiny.
“We want to ensure that fraudulent entries are filtered out. The extra time will help us determine how many criminal attempts we were able to intercept,” he said.
