No fewer than 25 persons have been arrested over illegal registration of candidates for the 2017 UTME, Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The suspects were also arrested for illegal sale of UTME materials.

But investigations by our reporters showed that candidates are still having a rough time trying to register for the exam. They accused JAMB of inefficiency and incompetence. At the various CBT centres where candidates’ biometrics were being captured, long queues were noticed. Many of the applicants said they had to visit two different banks to pay to JAMB account and to the account of the CBT centres.

They complained of poor network and frustrations arising from their inability to access JAMB website due to heavy traffic. They advised JAMB to improve on the technical integrity of its website to make more easily accessible for registration.

JAMB registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede said the individuals arrested were  selling registration materials to the 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to candidates.

The suspects, he said, were arrested by a combined team of Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU); members of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigeria Police Force.

Oloyede said the e-Brochure and e-Syllabus, which were meant to be free were being sold by the culprits as high as N800 each nationwide.

He also said the culprits were extorting money and inflating cost of registration for candidates.

“Our quality assurance unit, particularly the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit had to go out to see what was happening, following reports of extortion.

“We were having reports that candidates are paying more than the N5,500 that is required.,” Oloyede said..

“Some of them inflated the prices of registration and application documents, so we had to arrest them to show Nigerians that those items were not supposed to be sold.

“The arrests were carried out across the country yesterday April 1, and we have handed them over to the Nigerian Police for prosecution, ” he said.

He urged applicants seeking to register for the forthcoming UTME to go about their registration in line with due processes, to avoid hitches associated with irregularities.

He said JAMB would stick to its month-end  deadline for  registration for this year’s examination.

Oloyede debunked  complaints about poor internet connectivity.

According to him, many of the business centres who wanted JAMB to return to the old practice or producers of  scratch cards are behind the complaints.

Oloyede also assured all applicants that they would be registered for the exercise before the end of the month.

Photo: Prof Oloyede, JAMB Registrar