Two staff of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Andy Okoro and Gambo Abba, have been arrested for extorting money from Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination candidates with the promise to help them secure university admission.
So also has a tutorial class operator walked himself into trouble for collecting money from would-be candidates for the 2021 UTME when the process had yet to commence.
Okoro, a level 12 officer in Delta State JAMB’s office, was said to have collected N500,000 from the parents of four candidates, out of which he paid N180,000 to Gambo to help facilitate their admission.
The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, said the bubble burst when one of the parents in Delta State petitioned JAMB on Okoro’s activities, a move that prompted the Board to launch an investigation into the issue.
Oloyede expressed surprise that the affected staff defied the Board’s zero tolerance for corruption as he vowed to ensure they face the full wrath of the law.
He insisted that anybody who engages in sharp practices, no matter who the person is, shall not be protected by the Board because it has zero-tolerance for corruption.
Oloyede, therefore, called on parents and candidates not to allow anyone to collect money from them in the guise of helping them secure admission to their chosen institution as the system is now fully automated.
The JAMB Registrar said: “What is happening now is that people know those that will be admitted because they know by the automation this person could be admitted and they now go and be extorting the parents of those that have already been slated for admission.
“We need to let the public know that there is no halfway to admission.
“Nobody should bribe or give any amount to anybody whether they are JAMB staff or they are not JAMB staff.
“Anybody who solicits money from any parent, the parent should inform the Board.”
Bayo Olajide, a tutorial centre operator in Koroduma, Nasarawa State, has landed in trouble for collecting N6,500 registration fees from would-be UTME candidates.
Olajide was said to have engaged in the act even when JAMB was yet to commence sales of form for the 2021 exercise.
JAMB’s Head of Media, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, said: “He has been collecting money from candidates in the name of 2021 UTME registration, and you all know we have not commenced the registration.
“He was arrested and when asked, he claimed he is a tutorial person, that he has been teaching candidates for the exam, but the tragedy of the story was that he was not even qualified to sit for the exam.”
Olajide, who revealed that his highest academic qualification was ‘O Level’, admitted receiving money, but said it was from only one person.