One of the two staff of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board,Mr Andy Okoro,has disclosed that he was forced to engage in admission racketing for candidates of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as a result of economic hardship in the country.
He told newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday
Okoro, a level 12 officer in Delta State JAMB’s office, and his accomplice, Gambo Ibrahim Abba, were caught while trying to extort money from unsuspecting candidates of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
They allegedly promised to help their victims secure university’s admission.
Okoro collected N500,000 from four candidates’ parents and paid N180,000 to Gambo Ibrahim Abba, to facilitate their admission,but the illicit trade was revealed
when one of the parents in Delta State petitioned JAMB on Okoro’s activities.
The Board,it was learned,swiftly open up a investigation into the scandal.
Gambo, who had earlier claimed he was into fish business with Okoro, later admitted that his involvement in the act might have been induced beyond ordinary comprehension
He said he was probably hypnotized by Okoro to engage in the shady deals, adding that he only got to know him by phone last year through a third party.
“It was not ordinary, he was just calling me, I don’t know him, he lured me into this when he convinced me that he has been into it for a long time,” he added
Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, expressed surprise that the affected staff defied the Board’s zero tolerance for corruption, vowed to ensure they face the full wrath of the law.
He stated:” Anybody who engages in sharp practices, no matter who the person is, shall not be protected by the Board because the Board has zero tolerance for corruption,” the JAMB boss said.
He implored parents and candidates not to allow anyone collect money from them on the guise of helping to secure admission to their choice institution as the system is now fully automated.
He added : “The admission exercise into tertiary institutions has been automated, therefore anybody working in JAMB or anybody who has good calculation, who knows what admission process is, can predict who can be admitted because it has been automated.
“What is happening now is that people know those that will be admitted, because they know by the automation this person could be admitted, and they now go and be extorting the parents of those that have already been slated for admission.
“We need to let the public know that there is no halfway to admission, nobody should bribe or give any amount to anybody whether they are JAMB staff or they are not JAMB staff. Anybody who solicit money from any parent, the parent should inform the Board.”
