UTME Fraud: JAMB Insists Mmesoma forged her result, Blacklists Candidate For Three Years
........as Rights Group Accuses Board of Violating Child Rights Act.....
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), says it has blacklisted and barred one of its candidates that sat for the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Ejikeme Mmesoma from writing the examination for the next three years, for allegedly forging her result.
JAMB’s Head of Public Affairs and Protocol, Fabian Benjamin also confirmed the withdrawal of the result earlier issued to Ejikeme, claiming that she would not be able to use it in any tertiary institution across Nigeria.
Benjamin said: “We have withdrawn her result. She will never use that result. Even next year, she cannot register for our examinations.
“Security agencies have taken over the case. After the conclusion of their investigation, JAMB will go ahead to prosecute her.”
Meanwhile, a human rights organization, Centre for Nonviolence and Social Justice, has flayed the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, over the poor handling of the alleged fake result involving Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme.
Amos Ogbonnaya, Executive Director, of the organization, said in a statement that “JAMB stopped short of telling the world how she inflated her score, when she did it, whether or not she did it alone or in consortium with some high-tech wizards, or the app or software used to hack JAMB’s data base or server. Someone who uses an app or a computer application to inflate a JAMB score cannot be said to have ‘manually’ inflated her UTME result.’ There is a clear difference between manual and electronic applications or manipulation.
“By coming public with such grave allegations against Mmesoma, without regard to her status as a child under the Child Rights Act of 2003, the managers and officials of JAMB have demonstrated crass ignorance of, or contempt for Nigerian laws, especially as it relates to the rights of a child. Section 11(c) of the Child Rights Act provides that ‘Every child is entitled to respect for the dignity of his (or her) person, and accordingly no child shall be subjected to attacks upon his (or her) honour or reputation.
“JAMB has shown impunity and grave disrespect to Mmesoma’s right to dignity, and has unfortunately and unjustifiably launched the most viscous attack on her honour and her reputation, against the spirit and letters of the Child Rights Act of 2003.
“We therefore call on the Federal Government, the National Child Rights Implementation Committee, and the Anambra State Government to launch a discreet investigation into the activities of JAMB, especially it’s data base to determine whether any manipulation has occurred; either by Mmesoma, as alleged, or by perverse JAMB officials against the innocent girl, to bring her and Anambra State to public odium and contempt.”
