The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) may blacklist fraudulent computer-based-Test centre (CBT) operators, the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede disclosed this while briefing the media on the conduct of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, (UTME), which ended on May 20.
According to him, the centres that were mostly privately owned were involved in large-scale malpractice, both during the registration and the actual examination.
Oloyede added that the centres would be delisted from participating in the future conduct of the examinations to serve as a deterrent to others. He said their action was intended to sabotage the innovations of JAMB towards ensuring a credible examination regime for Nigerians.
The registrar lamented that some public and religious institutions innocently allowed some of these fraudulent individuals to operate within their environments.
Oloyede disclosed that the body had released the results of 1, 606,902 candidates within 24 hours of the conduct of the examinations, leaving a balance of 80,889.
He added that out of the figure, 76,923 have been withheld for further investigation due to the alleged malpractice in the centres where the examinations took place.
The registrar stressed that before the commencement of the examinations, 1.718.425 candidates had registered, while another 3,811 candidates, who were allowed to register late in compliance with the directives of the House of Representatives, would be scheduled for their examination.
He further disclosed that more than half of the figures had engaged in double registration. He said any one whose name was found on such a list would not be allowed to have a second chance.
Oloyede revealed that more than half of those whose names were found among the double registration were found to have scored more than 220 marks, adding that the board would uphold the first result of such candidates rather than cancelling their papers.
The registrar added that 640 candidates across the country had issues bordering on registration issues such as the non-verification of biometrics. He explained that JAMB had not concluded that all the 80,889 candidates whose results were withheld committed any infraction.
He stressed that the CBT operators and parents were found to have been active collaborators in the scam. Oloyede displayed various personal effects such as slippers, mobile phones, hair wigs, and cloths, headscarves that were recovered from candidates, most of which contained answers to the objective questions.
He said although their malpractice was a wasted effort, the board might be forced to apply heavier sanctions in future.