Mmesoma admitted using her phone to manipulate UTME result, says Anambra panel

The committee of inquiry set up by the Anambra State Government to look into the examination fraud involving Mmesoma Ejikeme has confirmed that she manipulated her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination result, giving herself a score of 362 as against actual score of 249.

The Committee in its eight-page report said that the student of Anglican Girls Secondary School in Nnewi, admitted that she manipulated the fake result herself, using her phone.

Mmesoma had gained attention of Nigerians recently following the controversy relating to her UTME result.

Following the release of the UTME results by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board in May, Mmesoma was widely celebrated as the top scorer in the examination after coming out with a score of 362.

Her claim of being the top scorer had gotten her a N3 million worth of scholarship from Innocent Chukwuma, Chairman of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing.

However, JAMB later came out to deny Mmesoma’s claim of being the highest scorer in the 2023 UTME, saying that the student faked the result she was parading. The exam body said that Mmesoma actually scored 249 and not 362.

With the controversy the issue raised, Governor Chukwuma Soludo set up a committee of inquiry to investigate the matter.

The Committee in its report signed by the Anambra State Commissioner of Information, Paul Nwosu, said it conducted interviews with relevant parties, including Mmesoma, JAMB officials and other individual(s) involved in the process as well as the principal of Anglican Girls Secondary School.

The report noted that JAMB revealed that Mmesoma made several request to JAMB asking for her result and each of the times she received in her phone same score of 249 total aggregate.

The Committee said that in Mmesoma’s submission, she owned up in the presence of her principal and Education Secretary that the narration of JAMB officials was true and correct description of what happened.

The Committee said it tried to find out the motive behind her action but Mmesoma replied that nothing motivated her.

According to the Committee, Mmesoma is expected to tender a written apology to JAMB, the Anglican Girls Secondary, and the Anambra state government.

The report read in part, “Recall Mr Governor that with the recent release of scores of candidates who applied for admission by the JAMB and subsequent announcement of Nkechiyere Umeh as the candidate with the highest score of 360, Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, a 19-year-old student of Anglican Girls’ Secondary School, Uruagu Nnewi, from Enugu State, protested to the state government that she scored 362 and ought to have been so recognised.

“This has elicited interest and generated serious controversy and misgivings among the general public that the state government in its wisdom decided to constitute a committee of inquiry to look into the under-listed terms of reference; review Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma’s JAMB results and associated documents.

“Conduct interviews with relevant parties, including Mmesoma, JAMB officials and any other individual(s) involved in the process. Provide recommendations based on the findings of the investigation.

“The committee invited Mmesoma, the Principal of Anglican Girls’ Secondary School, and officials of JAMB for an interactive session with the Committee.

“JAMB officials led by Dr Fabian Benjamin, the Head of Public Affairs presented the detailed processes and procedures involved in JAMB admissions, the policy changes that have occurred in the release of UTME scores since 2021 and what specifically transpired between the candidate Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma with registration number: 20230639047FF in her quest to obtain her JAMB score.

“JAMB revealed the different times that Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma made several requests to the JAMB portal asking for her results at different hours, and each of these times (four in number), she received in her phone, same results from JAMB indicating candidate’s UTME Results to Wit: Eng: 64, Phy:54, Bio: 74, Che: 57 with a total aggregate score of 249.

“JAMB disclosed that the candidate was well informed of her correct score. Mmesoma had sent a request to JAMB with a different registration number showing a UTME result of an aggregate score of 362, with Eng: 98, Phy: 89, Bio: 94, and Che: 81. The results she sent differed substantially from the standard JAMB format where she got an appropriate rebuttal stating her real score of 249.

“A number of red flags were also highlighted by JAMB officials showing a different date of birth, different Registration Number, and Notification of results template that has been discarded since 2021, amongst others.

“It was also evident that even the centre name ‘Nkemefuna Foundation (Thomas Chidoka Centre for Human Development as it was known before now) used for the examination was also manipulated where the candidate used the old name of the centre (Thomas Chidoka Centre for Human Development) in her own manipulated result sheet.

“In Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma’s submission, she owned up in the presence of her principal, and the Education Secretary that the narration by the JAMB officials was a true and correct description of what transpired.

“She also admitted to having given a manipulated result by herself unaided, using the same phone Airtel Number.

“According to her, she proceeded to the cybercafé (Prisca Global Computers, Uruagu, Nnewi) where she printed the results she had manipulated.

“The Committee tried to find out the motive behind her action, but Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma said nothing.

“In their own submissions, the Principal Anglican Girls’ Secondary School, Uruagu, Nnewi, and the Education Secretary — Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion) expressed shock at what transpired where in their presence, Mmesoma admitted to have manipulated her UTME results, deceiving the school, her immediate family and the state government.”

The Committee hailed JAMB for their diligent handling of the matter and the information supplied about the interface with the candidate, adding, “We hope that this unearthing of the truth as we have discovered will go a long way in correcting the sentiments, misconceptions and deceptions that have been in the public domain.