JAMB parades 2 staff for extorting students
By Tina Omoregie
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has paraded two of its staff for allegedly extort money from two candidates seeking admission into universities with the hope of helping them gain admission into the university.
The arrested staff had reportedly extorted money from Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), candidates with the promise to help them secure admission.
The board paraded the staff, identified as Andy Okoro- a level 12 officer in Delta State JAMB’s office, and Gambo Ibrahim Abba, at its headquarters late yesterday.
Okoro, who admitted engaging in the act, explained that he collected N500,000 from four candidates’ parents, out of which he paid N180,000 to a colleague, Gambo Ibrahim Abba, to help facilitate their admission.
The bubble burst when one of the parents in Delta State petitioned JAMB on Okoro’s activities, a move that prompted the Board to open up a deep investigation into the issue.
Okoro told newsmen on Monday evening in Abuja that he engaged in the fraudulent act because of economic hardship.
A mild drama, however, ensued when his accomplice, Gambo, who had earlier claimed he was into fish business with Okoro, later admitted that his involvement in the act might not be “ordinary.”
“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 lamented.
Registrar of JAMB, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, who 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.
”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.
Prof. Oloyede called on parents and candidates not to allow anyone to collect money from them in the guise of helping to secure admission to their chosen institution as the system is now fully automated.
