Not less than 6 candidates have been arrested for alleged impersonation in the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for the 2013/2014 academic session being conducted by the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) in Ogun State Nigeria.
The candidates were arrested by security staff and senior officials ofthe university who were deployed to supervise the examination, following the indefinite nationwide strike embarked upon by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The Chief Security Officer of FUNAAB, Mr. Peter Bolarinwa, who confirmed the arrest of the suspected exam cheats to reporters on Thursday, added that the suspects had been handed over to the State Security Service (SSS).
Bolarinwa explained that the suspects were nabbed in the process of accreditation for the examination, which commenced on Wednesday.
He attributed the arrest to effective security checks put in place by the university management.
He said, “I can confirm to you that, so far, since we started On. Wednesday, we have arrested six candidates who have also been handed over to the SSS operatives for necessary action.
“Our university is not one in which someone can write exam for another. We maintain strict security checks which, often times, reveal impersonators among those willing to join us as students. That’s why we shall continue to be the best among the rest.”
SchoolGist gathered that no fewer than 28,100 candidates are competing for the available 3,500 admission slots at FUNAAB.
The institution’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Olusola Oyewole, had on Wednesday attributed the rising number of students seeking admission in the university to the discipline and the high quality of education provided by the university.