The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Chukwu Ikechukwu, said that the 18 suspects, all men, are presently being quizzed.
Ikechukwu said: “The 18 male suspects are being quizzed by the Command for attempted exam malpractices during the just concluded JAMB examinations held nationwide.”
The image maker further noted that the suspects were arrested on May 15, 2017, in a rented apartment at No.13, Lutheran Road, Ikot Ekpene, while trying to hack into JAMB Website to have access to exam questions.
“The leader of the syndicate, Isaiah Akpan Eshiet, works for Gmail Computer Technology and Management, Institute located at No.15, Lutheran Road, Ikot Ekpen as the Centre Manager. The Institute is one of the centres approved by JAMB for candidates to write the examinations,” said Ikechukwu.
Ikechukwu continued: “The Centre Manager rented the office, which is about a few metres away from the Institute, to specifically perpetrate the crime. He linked a cable from the rented office to a switch of the Institute’s Computer system in the proprietor’s office with the intention to connect the JAMB Server for access to JAMB questions. He had not succeeded when the police on information swooped on him and his associates. Among the accomplices in the Command’s custody are scouts for interested candidates and those on standby, popularly referred to as mercenaries, who were to solve the exam questions and transmit answers to candidates in the examination hall at the Institute. Items recovered from the syndicate include 27 laptops, cables and a generating set.”
The Commissioner of Police Akwa Ibom State, Don Awunah, reiterated that there was no hiding place for criminals in the state.
He reassured that the Command will continue to collaborate with all exam bodies in the state to eliminate cheats from the processes and safeguard their collective integrity.
