JAMB withdraws UTME candidate’s result for manipulating scores

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has withdrawn the result of a candidate in the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Mmesoma Ejikeme, over alleged manipulation of her scores.

The JAMB spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, made this known in a statement issued on Sunday.

Recall that Ejikeme, who claimed to have scored 362 in the 2023 UTME, was recently awarded a N3 million scholarship by the Chairman of Innoson Vehicles, Innocent Chukwuma.

Benjamin said some of the 2023 UTME candidates were parading fake scores in order to get undue advantage.

He said JAMB, which also listed the case of one Atung Gerald in Kaduna that allegedly claimed to have scored 380, advised Nigerians not to fall victim to the antics of the candidates.

He stated: “The attention of JAMB has been drawn to several publications in both print and online media celebrating certain candidates for scoring high in the 2023 UTME.

READ ALSO: How non-existent candidate, others faked 2023 UTME high scores ― JAMB

“The Board is constrained to set the records straight and wishes to state unequivocally that many of the results which many of these candidates are parading are fake.

“In many instances, some of these candidates had actually obtained far lower scores than they are claiming and had used some funny software packages to manipulate their results to deceive unsuspecting members of the public.

“The most pathetic of them all is the case of Miss Ejikeme, who claimed to have scored 362 in the 2023 UTME and was awarded a N3m scholarship by Chukwuma.”

Benjamin noted that the candidate was set to be honoured by the Anambra State Government when one of its top officials put a call through to JAMB to confirm her claim, only for the Board to reveal that she had actually scored 249 and not 362.

The JAMB spokesman added: “She had manipulated her UTME result to deceive the public and fraudulently obtained scholarship and other recognitions.

“The Board would like to state that the likes of Mmesoma are still out there, deceiving those who are always in a hurry to bestow honour on candidates without confirming from the Board.”

He said the candidate would be prosecuted, noting that JAMB would investigate all candidates laying claims to higher scores than they actually obtained.

Benjamin, therefore, enjoined Nigerians to always cross check claims by candidates with JAMB before rushing to honour them with undeserving awards.

The Star