The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board may cancel as much as half of the results of its 2019 university admissions exams in some states of the federation.

The official, who requested anonymity to be able to discuss JAMB’s delay in releasing results, expressed disgust at the massive malpractice recorded during the last Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) that held between April 11 and 18.

The source said while all parts of the country took part in cheating, the situation was worse in some. He said the “fearless display of fraudulent tactics by some individuals including parents and centre owners,” would leave many people dumbfounded.

While giving reasons for the delay in the release of this year’s UTME results by JAMB, the source said Nigerians would be shocked if they were privy to the recordings from the Closed Circuit Television cameras installed across the about 700 centres used during the examination.

He said at least 50 per cent of centres in some states would likely have their results cancelled.
“Those people, I trembled when I saw the magnitude of malpractice they perpetrated, in spite of the technological measures JAMB took. I don’t know what we can do again,” the source said.

“If you look at the CCTV camera recordings, you would now wonder whether these people thought we were just joking when we insisted on installation of CCTV cameras. I am sure they didn’t believe us because anybody that had believed us would not have tried what they tried in those places.”

The spokesperson for JAMB, Fabian Benjamin, confirmed the large scale exams fraud, but said the board would not stereotype any particular region.
Cancelled results

Shortly after the conduct of the examination on April 18, JAMB had announced the cancellation of all results in two of its centres in Abia State.

The two affected centres, Heritage and Infinity CBT Centre and Okwyzil Computer Institute Comprehensive School, Ugwunabo, Aba, were summarily suspended and all candidates who sat for the examinations at the centres were reallocated to other nearby centres.
“All the results of all the examination sessions starting from April 11 to 18, 2019, conducted by the Board at those centres were cancelled,” JAMB stated in one of its bulletins.

The JAMB spokesman, Mr Benjamin, said while widespread cheating as confirmed by CCTVs are not new, the impatience of many Nigerians had pushed JAMB to release results before thorough reviews of the recordings in the past.

“What we have found out is that those who indulge in malpractice are usually encouraged by the impatient attitude of Nigerians who don’t always like matters being followed to a logical conclusion. That way, they always get away with their corrupt practices. But this time, we are patient to ensure that every single infraction is punished.

“We are crossing the ‘ts’ and dotting the ‘is’. We are almost done with the CCTV reviews, we have considered the reports submitted by supervisors, and we have ensured that centres where widespread cheating is recorded we are able to fish out the few innocent candidates so that they don’t suffer unjustly. So, very soon, we will release results.”