 has warned the public against Examination infractions during the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) that is some weeks ahead){kind=link}
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has warned the public against Examination infractions during the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) that is some weeks ahead.
The board said it has digital and other mechanisms to checkmate examinations fraud, stressing that no individual or group can influence Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results.
The Registrar of JAMB, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, gave the warning in Abuja, Nigeria while briefing newsmen on the re-arrest of an examination fraud suspect, Emmanuel Atakata.
Oloyede, urged the candidates, parents and the general public not to be falling victim to promises of score enhancement or examination support.
He described such claims as fraudulent, stressing that individuals who engaged in such schemes risked financial loss and possible legal consequences.
Oloyede who was represented by Mrs Zainab Hamza, Director, Special Duties of the Board reminded the public that any claim of score enhancement or examination assistance was fraudulent, and engagement with such schemes constitutes a violation of the law.
“Candidates who patronise these services expose themselves to financial loss and legal consequences,’’ he said.
On the Akataka case, Oloyede said the suspect was previously apprehended for his involvement in criminal conspiracy, impersonation, identity theft, online fraud and other related offences targeting UTME candidates.
“In the course of his operations, he created a fictitious identity known as ‘Official Frederick’, through which he established a WhatsApp platform used to advertise false services such as score inflation.
“Through this scheme, he deceived no fewer than 94 candidates into paying for illegal and non-existent score enhancement services,’’ he said.
The registrar said the affected candidates were given fair hearing by the board and allowed to appear before a special committee to establish their innocence.
According to him, following approval from the Federal Ministry of Education, the registrations of the affected candidates were cancelled, while the suspect was granted bail in line with due legal process.
He said Akataka, however re-established contact with the same candidates he had previously defrauded, adopting another alias, ‘Sir Frederick’, and demanded payment of N70,000 from each candidate, falsely claiming he could prevent the cancellation of their registrations because he was in contact with the board, he said.
Oloyede said investigations revealed that the suspect initially used his father’s bank account, bearing the name Vincent Okpowho Akataka, to receive payments.
“Upon suspecting exposure, he opened another account with SmartCash using the name Zainab Rafiu, falsely presented as a director of JAMB, to lend credibility to his fraudulent scheme.
“It is deeply concerning that the same candidates involved in the initial infraction again fell victim to another fraudulent scheme.
“This pattern raises serious concerns about the growing willingness among some candidates to seek unlawful advantage rather than exercise integrity,’’he said.
Oloyede said JAMB, in collaboration with security agencies, would continue to pursue and prosecute individuals involved in examination fraud, noting the Akataka has been handed over to the security agencies.
He advised candidates and parents to rely solely on legitimate processes and reject any form of inducement or illegal assistance.
Speaking with newsmen, Akataka, 26, an indigene of Delta, said he ventured into the illegal activity due to poverty and the need to cater for his mother’s medical bills.
He claimed that after his initial pardon, some of his previous victims continued to contact him seeking assistance, in spite of knowing the services were fake.
He said he had defrauded 95 candidates and got N1.5 million naira from them.