‘Fake Admissions’: JAMB Conniving With Police To Arrest, Extort Us, Nigerian Graduates Cry Out
- Arrested Individuals Complicit Of Document Falsification – JAMB
Several Nigerian university graduates have accused the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) of collaborating with the Nigerian police to arrest and extort them.
The affected graduates said they were extorted after visiting JAMB offices to address discrepancies in their admission records and issues preventing them from participating in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Multiple affected individuals who spoke to SaharaReporters, said JAMB directed them to its offices after a “fake admission” label suddenly appeared on their Central Admission Processing System (CAPS) profiles—just days before their scheduled NYSC mobilisation.
However, upon reporting to the offices, many allege they were detained by police and pressured to pay as much as N500,000 to secure their release.
“My friend who went to Abuja in December was arrested. JAMB called the police on them. They were detained and paid over N200,000 for bail,” one victim said.
Another added, “I was detained near the JAMB office in Abeokuta. Police extorted N50,000 from me. They even brought a Point of Sale (POS) girl for me to transfer money to, and took the cash from her. That was how I got released.”
One of the most harrowing cases involved a student who said the police demanded N500,000 for his release.
“The amount they asked me to pay was N500,000. I couldn’t believe it. I was just trying to clarify my admission issues,” he said.
The affected graduates said they were admitted into various institutions—including Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), University of Calabar (UNICAL), Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), University of Benin (UNIBEN), Lagos State University (LASU), Imo State University (IMSU), Edo State University (EDSU), Igbinedion University Okada (IUO), and Kwara State University (KWASU)—after writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
They noted that they followed JAMB’s guidelines for admission regularisation, with many successfully completing the process and appearing on the official matriculation list—only to later be flagged without warning.
“In our final year, JAMB told us to regularise our admissions through their state offices. When we did, we were given admission letters. But just before NYSC mobilisation in April 2024, our CAPS started showing ‘fake admission.’ By June, JAMB removed that and said we should visit their offices,” one of them said.
“But when we got there, we were treated like criminals,” a graduate said. “They claim hackers tampered with their database, yet they’re using the police to harass and extort us instead of fixing the issue.”
Meanwhile, JAMB has refuted the allegations, noting that it only recognises students who were admitted through the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS).
Its spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, said, “If a student gets admission through the back door into an institution, and we don’t know about it, we can’t give him an admission letter.”
However, the students say they are victims of system failure and not fraudsters.
“We were admitted by our schools, followed all the instructions, and still ended up with our futures on hold. Now we’re being extorted, arrested, and criminalised for it,” one of them said.
They are calling on the Federal Government and the Ministry of Education to urgently intervene to halt what they describe as intimidation and extortion by JAMB in collaboration with security operatives.
While responding to inquiry on the extortion allegations against JAMB , the board’s spokesperson, Benjamin, dismissed the claims as incorrect. He emphasised that “admissions are governed by established rules and regulations, not arbitrary decisions.”
He further explained that the term ‘regularisation’ implies that something is irregular. He clarified that the proper procedure mandates that candidates take the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and fulfil all necessary requirements.
According to him, the board is actively tackling cases of fraudulent admissions and certificate forgery. “There have been cases where candidates have made false claims, and those individuals are arrested for document falsification,” he said.
However, he added, “I am not aware of any case involving arrests for extortion or failure to meet NYSC requirements due to legitimate qualifications.”
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
