Several Nigerian university graduates have raised serious accusations against the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), alleging that the Board is collaborating with the police to arrest and extort them after issues concerning their admission records emerged.
The affected graduates said they were invited to JAMB offices after their Central Admission Processing System (CAPS) profiles suddenly displayed “fake admission” labels, just days before they were scheduled for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) mobilisation.
However, upon reporting to the JAMB offices, many claimed they were detained by the police and forced to pay large sums of money—ranging from N50,000 to as high as N500,000—to secure their release.
Graduates Share Their Experiences
One victim narrated how his friend traveled to JAMB’s headquarters in Abuja but ended up being arrested:
“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.”
Another graduate shared a similar experience:
“I was detained near the JAMB office in Abeokuta. Police extorted N50,000 from me. They even brought a POS operator so I could transfer the money immediately. That was the only way I got released.”
One of the most alarming cases involved a graduate who said the police demanded N500,000 before agreeing to release him.
“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.
How the Problem Started
Most of the affected graduates sat for the UTME, secured admissions into universities like:
- 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)
- Kwara State University (KWASU)
They explained that after gaining admission, they followed JAMB’s guidelines by completing admission regularisation at state JAMB offices.
Many were even issued official JAMB admission letters and appeared on the matriculation list.
However, just before the NYSC Batch B mobilisation in 2024, their profiles on CAPS began showing “fake admission.”
By June 2024, JAMB removed the label and directed the affected candidates to report to their offices for clarification.
“When we got there, instead of assistance, we were treated like criminals,” a graduate said.
The students insisted that they were victims of a system failure, not fraudsters.
“We followed all the steps JAMB told us to follow. How did it suddenly become our fault?” one asked.
JAMB Responds
When contacted, JAMB’s spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, denied the allegations of extortion and collaboration with the police.
He stated that admissions are governed by strict rules and that candidates must follow the proper admission procedures through JAMB’s Central Admission Processing System (CAPS).
Dr Benjamin explained:
“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.
Regularisation means the admission was initially irregular. We cannot regularize all irregularities automatically.”
He also stressed that the board is working hard to tackle issues of fraudulent admissions and certificate forgery.
However, he claimed he was not aware of any cases involving police arrests for extortion linked to legitimate candidates seeking NYSC clearance.
Graduates Demand Urgent Intervention
The affected graduates are now calling on the Federal Government, the Ministry of Education, and human rights organisations to urgently intervene.
They are pleading for a solution to the crisis that has left their futures uncertain.
“We cannot serve in NYSC, we cannot further our education, and now we are treated like criminals,” one of them said.
The situation remains tense as many await official responses and hope for a resolution.
Stay connected with us for further verified updates on this developing story.