The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB has threatened to ensure that Miss Ejikeme Mmesoma, a candidate of the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) who allegedly forged and inflated her result, ends up in jail, in order to deter other young people from thinking of committing such a crime in the future.
JAMB stated this Tuesday morning, July 4, 2023 in an exclusive telephone interview granted to us by Dr. Fabian Benjamin, Head of Protocol and Public Relation of the examination regulatory Board.
Nationwide Reports had asked Dr. Fabian why JAMB went ahead to slam a 3-year ban on the candidate when Anambra State Government and INNOSON Motors CEO are demanding for a thorough probe of the matter.
Dr Fabian Benjamin disclosed the ban when he featured on a TV programme, “Big Issue,” yesterday.
Nationwide Reports also drew the attention of Dr. Fabian to the video made by Mmesoma in which she vehemently denied the allegation of fraud.
In his response JAMB’s image maker said both Anambra State Government and INNOSON Motors CEO should go ahead with their investigations, adding that such investigation cannot stop JAMB from carrying out on with its statutory functions.
He said that he was in contact with the Anambra State Education Commissioner and has assured her that the Board is ready to corporate with the state government in the investigation and would provide all the documents and evidences as may be demanded by the probe body.
According Dr. Fabian, Mmesoma was clever by half while carrying out her nefarious activities of forging a result as according to him, what she printed contained outdated result sample of JAMB which was phased out in 2021.
“The result she printed with 362 marks was not from us. That sort of result was phased out in 2021. Result sheet from JAMB also contain the candidate’s photograph. The one she forged does not contain her photograph.
“She printed one result on June 25th before doctoring what she printed on July 2. The two results also carried different dates of birth,” JAMB spokesman said.
Fabian said that unknown to Miss Mmesoma, all her activities were monitored by the Board as is the case with all activities on the Board’s website.
“She is a liar. She knows that she is telling lies. We monitored all her nefarious activities and would supply all the evidence to the Anambra State government or any other organization probing or ready to probe the matter.”
Dr. Fabian said those who are supporting the young girl are only contributing in destroying her because when the whole process is completed, JAMB would ensure that she is prosecuted to deter other young people from criminal actions of that magnitude.
“She will go to jail at the end of the day. We will follow the matter to a logical conclusion in order to deter other young people from such acts. We have no objection to anybody or organisation probing the issue. But that cannot stop us from carrying on with our official mandate. By the time all the details are out, Nigerians will see the extent that girl went to perpetrate the criminal act,” Dr Fabian told Nationwide Reports.
It would be recalled that Miss Ejikeme Mmesoma was reported to have scored 362 out of 400 in this year’s UTME. The feat had attracted a N3million scholarship to her by the CEO of INNOSON Motors while Anambra State Government also promised to reward her.\
But following the allegation of fraud by JAMB, both the Anambra State government and INNOSON CEO said they would probe the development to ascertain the incidences leading to the allegation.
On Monday, the family Mmesoma made a statement saying they stand behind their daughter and claimed that there was a conspiracy to deny her the hard earned academic success.
Her father, Mr. Ejikeme Romanus said that his daughter had showcased sterling academic brilliance from her nursery school days and always claimed first position in her class, starting from nursery to secondary school.
He said- “We are from Oduma in Aninri local government in Enugu state, but we live in Uruagu, Nnewi.
“Mmesoma is my first child. She had always taken first position from the time she was in the nursery school at Ogbunike Central School.
“When she was at Oba Girls’ Secondary School, Mmesoma was representing the school in competitions. So when she changed to Anglican Girls’ Secondary School, her teachers in Oba Girls came and pleaded with me, begging me to retain her in their school; that she is promoting the name of their school.
“Mmesoma cannot manipulate her UTME score. I don’t believe what they are saying. They just want to transfer that scholarship to another person. That is why they are saying that Mmesoma did not make that score.”