Father arrested for helping son to write UTME - both of them are in cell

Ishaq Oloyede, Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disclosed that a father was recently arrested for helping his son to write the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Oloyede said this while fielding questions from newsmen shortly after inspecting a JAMB centre in Kaduna State on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.

Though he said the incident didn't happen in Kaduna, the JAMB Registrar kept a tight lip on the state where it occurred.

However, he said the father and son are cooling their heels in the same cell.

Oloyede also raised the alarm over the increasing cases of how some parents impersonate to sit examinations for their children in the country.

He noted that the trend had become a major challenge for JAMB, warning that those who engage in cheating should be cautious of the consequences.

He said the body is leveraging technology to check anyone trying to game the system and get them arrested.

“Across the country, most of the problem we have is impersonation. We have a case of a father impersonating his son, writing examination for the son and I wonder, are you not destroying your son’s future?

“Of course, two of them are now in custody. I can’t understand what the father will now tell his son when they are both locked up in the same cell. This happened definitely not in Kaduna, but I don’t want to disclose the state.

“So, it is largely cases of impersonation, but we are ahead of them. We are just picking them up like chicken now, because the facilities are there for us to see what they are doing and to pick them up. And even those that we have left for research purposes, they will see what will happen after the exams,” he said.

The Registrar of Joint Admission and Matriculation Board(JAMB), Prof Ishaq Oloyede (Eagle online) Pulse Nigeria

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JAMB reports cases of identical NINs

The Registrar also revealed that cases of candidates with identical National Identification Numbers (NINs) were recorded, which had defeated the purpose of identity verification.

Oloyede said the board would take up the matter with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

He also notified that the candidates that have missed the exam, for reasons not caused by the examination body have jeopardised their chances for good, stating that JAMB can't afford to expend the nation's resources to reorganise a session for a few affected candidates whose personal recklessness led to them missing the exam.