The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has accused some tertiary institutions of admitting students using fake Advanced Level (A’level) results without proper verification.
In its weekly bulletin released on Monday in Abuja, JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, stated that the board recently uncovered 13 additional fraudulent A’level certificates submitted for admission consideration. Some institutions had already processed admissions for candidates using these fake documents.
JAMB emphasised that the affected candidates have been referred to law enforcement agencies for prosecution, warning institutions to verify credentials to uphold the integrity of the admission process.
The bulletin said: “The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has observed that some institutions are failing to verify the results used for admitting candidates, particularly those seeking direct entry.
“One of the fundamental purposes of the screening process is to ensure that only legitimate documents are used to consider and accept candidates for admission and registration. It is crucial for institutions to understand that this responsibility lies primarily with them.
“JAMB initiated the Nigeria Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System (NIPEDS) approximately two years ago following an alarming report from Bayero University, Kano. The university revealed that out of 148 results it verified for admission, only six were genuine, while the remainder were fraudulent.
“Through NIPEDS, JAMB has received confirmations from foreign institutions alerting them to forged certificates presented by candidates. Recently, thirteen additional A’level certificates were identified as fake after being submitted for admission consideration, with some institutions having already proposed the candidates based on these fraudulent documents. The candidates involved have been referred to law enforcement agencies for prosecution.
“Consequently, institutions that propose candidates for admission using fake certificates will be viewed as accomplices in this fraudulent activity.
“While NIPEDS is a valuable tool, it does not replace the need for institutions to conduct their own verification and due diligence.
“The most egregious example of forgery involves candidates who submitted forged Interim Joint Matriculation Board Examination (IJMBE) results from ABU Zaria in an attempt to gain admission to ABU itself.”
JAMB urged all institutions to “thoroughly verify all A’level qualifications presented for admission, regardless of whether they were issued by their own institution or by others.”
Leave a comment