JAMB: Couple, two others sent to jail for selling UTME form above stipulated price

Ujaku Emem Samuel, his wife, Mr Opulani Sunupe and Mr Umar Musa Abdullahi have been sentenced to three years imprisonment each by a Magistrate Court sitting in Lafia, Nassarawa State. The four of them were apprehended and subsequently sentenced for selling e-Pins for the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) form above the stipulated price of N4,700.

“No fewer than four persons who are agents of accredited sale outlets arrested by officers of NSCDC, Nasarawa State Command for selling the ongoing 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) application documents above the prescribed price of N4000, have been sentenced to three years in prison each.

“Before the commencement of the sale of 2020, UTME/DE application documents on 13th January 2020 the sale outlets and their agents were adequately briefed by the Board on the cost and procedures for vending the e-PINs. The price of the ePINS was fixed at N3500 while that of the Reading Text was N500 totalling N4000.

“A commission of N210 from the N3500 due to the Board is given to the sale outlets as a commission on each pin sold to motivate them as well as dissuade them from exploiting candidates.

“It would be recalled that the Federal Government, in a bid to lessen the burden on parents, had directed that the UTME application documents be sold at N3500 down from N5000 charged earlier,” Fabian Benjamin, the Head, Media and Information of the Jamb, disclosed.

Mr Ujaku, who is a pastor of an undisclosed new generation church, and others were nabbed by operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and they pleaded guilty to the charged offences.

The Board, which had earlier advocated fairness and probity in the payment and registration of candidates, said the sales agents were given a fat commission to motivate them, therefore, warned against fraudulent practices.

“Therefore, it is rather unfortunate that in spite of all the warnings and appeals as well as the offer of a fat commission by the Board, some sales agents still deemed it fit to test the resolve of the Board and the Federal Government by doing the contrary.

“All sale outlets and their agents charged with the vending of the e-PINs are hereby warned, in their own interest, to desist from engaging in sharp practices or face the consequences.

“Anyone who sells the e-PINs above the regulated price would certainly, be arrested and prosecuted as each ePIN comes with a unique identifier for ease of tracking.

“Similarly, candidates are also warned to desist from paying more than the prescribed price as they can be culpable of aiding and abetting corrupt acts.

“The Board also wish to inform the general public that it welcomes credible and actionable reports of persons or centres exploiting candidates by selling above the regulated price,” the statement read.