The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has cancelled the registrations of 817 candidates in the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, who made this known after separate meetings with stakeholders in Abuja, said the registrations were invalidated over identified infractions bordering on the use of strange biometric fingerprints in the registration process.
While saying some registration officers in the affected 178 Computer Based Test (CBT) centres added one of their fingerprints to complete the registration process for the candidates, Oloyede, however, said the 817 students would be given another opportunity to re-register for the exam with the centres bearing the cost.
Professor Oloyede noted that students who allowed other people to add their fingers to their registration procedure were naive, while other were deliberate such was seen as impersonation, all the registrations was canceled and we will ask them to re-register.
The JAMB boss revealed that allowing a registration officer or any other person to add his or her finger during capturing of a candidate’s biometric data can bring about impersonation in the exam as well as give such ‘strange’ persons access to change vital details including exam center.
Speaking on the recent suspension of five CBT Centers for selling UTME registration pins above the stipulated price, the JAMB boss said four of the five have been let off the hook.
He however, said the excess payment would be refunded by the affected CBT centres to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) for necessary action.
Earlier during a virtual meeting with the candidates who had others donating their fingers (fingerprints) to them during their registration process, many of the students admitted the act while others claimed ignorance.
RN