Five suspects from Zamfara and Kebbi states, arrested for various examination malpractices during the just conducted Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, have been handed jail terms of between three months and two years.
This was contained in the JAMB bulletin released on Sunday.
The bulletin also disclosed that 123 other suspects arrested during the 2019 UTME, which took place between April 11 and April 18 were standing trial across the country.
Meanwhile, in a separated development, JAMB Registrar, Prof Is-haq Oloyede has attributed the delay in releasing the UTME results to the biometric verification of candidates nationwide even as he said that 31 states had already been screened.
The bulletin read, “Five persons who were involved in one form of exam malpractice in the just concluded 2019 UTME have been convicted. As of Sunday, three suspects from Zamfara State and two from Kebbi have been convicted for periods of three months to two years.
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“No fewer than 123 suspects are standing trial in various courts on one form of infraction or the other. With the conviction of the five suspects, the board urges the judiciary to continue on this path and to ensure that all suspects arraigned with sufficient facts are convicted.”
Explaining the delay in releasing the UMTE result, Oloyode said: “If you know that we have about 1.8million candidates and multiplied by 10 fingers. That is what we are talking about. If you are very close to the National Identity Management Commission, ask them what it takes to analyse fingers in terms of period.
“We have done 31 states and six states (including Abuja) are still not completed.”
“I don’t know when the result would be released but it will be very soon. It will be as soon as we complete what we are doing.”
