Exam malpractices: Police arrests online answer distributors, fake WAEC exam centre operator | EduCeleb
EduCeleb
28th April 2018
The Nigerian Police has arrested four suspects who allegedly specialise in solving examination questions and distributing the answers through various websites and WhatsApp numbers.
They were said to have leaked exam questions and answers for the ongoing 2018 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates.
The Lagos Police Command paraded the suspects in Ikeja on Friday.
According to the Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, the Rapid Response Squad decoy team traced and arrested the suspects from Edo, Osun and Ondo State.
The suspects namely; Samuel Kayode, 28-year-old from Ondo State, Adebayo Ifeoluwa, 17-year-old from Osun State, Alayande Ahmed and Elusode Festus, 20 years from Edo State were all arrested in their respective states.
reports that other suspects involved in the solving of exam questions for candidates ahead of the exam were still on the run. The police chief promised that his men would ensure they get arrested soon.
“Some other suspects had been traced to Ghana. We are working with Interpol to make sure they are arrested as soon as possible.
“We are also working with the examination bodies involved to make sure we get to the bottom of this,” he said.
Samuel Kayode, a part time teacher in two secondary schools based in Ilesa, disclosed that he also taught Physics and Mathematics in a private tutorial class where he assisted candidates who are planning to write the WASSCE examination with questions and already prepared answers for the candidates.
According to Mr Kayode, after working as a tutorial teacher for seven years, he got a part-time employment in two private schools in Ilesa, Osun State, where he also helped students preparing for WASSCE with leaked questions and prepared answers, adding that he did this to make a living.
“I got a part-time teaching job when I couldn’t secure a Government teaching job after graduating for NCE and couldn’t settle for the little salary I’m being paid by my employers. So, I decided to help myself with what I have been doing as a tutorial teacher by helping lazy students source for WASSCE examination questions and answers via some online platforms that deal in the illegal business.
“After registering candidates in their various centres, I then liaise with some anonymous people who we call ‘Web Masters’. The Web Masters have insiders in various examination boards in the country with leaked questions paper and buy such from them,” he explained.
“There are many websites operated by the Web Masters, where leaked WASSCE questions and prepared answers are sold to subscribing candidates. Some of these websites include;
www.examloaded.com, www.guruscamp.com, www. ceebook.net, www. Solutionclass.com and
www.expotab.com.
“They also hawk NECO, GCE and JAMB examinations papers with answers,” he added.
He explained further that “the contact person on Web master is called Dan who doesn’t pick calls but only complete deals through text messages and WhatsApp messages. Mr Dan usually sells answers via WhatsApp or issues a quick login password that can be issued on the website and immediately redirect the user to the page where the already prepared answers are.
“I then retail the answers I have bought from Mr. Dan to candidate customers who I coordinate carefully on a WhatsApp platform named ‘WAEC VIP’ where candidates waits patiently to receive the answers to the question after sending to me a #400 recharge cards of any network.
“I demand for N400 recharge card from candidate for general subject while I charge N800 for Mathematics and English language,” he confessed.
In his own confession, 17 year old Adebayo Ifeoluwa, said he sold leaked WASSCE examination questions and answers to a group on WhatsApp called ‘MCC’ where candidates paid a recharge card of N400 to get examination questions and answers.
Mr Ifeoluwa, a 200 level Accounting student at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) added that he got to know about the process through a WhatsApp group he joined.
“Sometime this year, just before the ongoing WASSCE examination, I belong to a sports betting WhatsApp group where we forecast for games. One of the member therein sent a broadcast about how to get WASSCE questions and left a WhatsApp link which I joined before thinking of creating my own ‘MCC’ after a thoughtful assumption of how profitable the venture looks.”
For Elusode Festus from Ekpoma in Edo State, he failed school certificate examination before becoming an apprentice at a Welding and metal fabrication shop. He also chose the retailing of leaked WASSCE question and answer as a side hustle.
The 22 year old said he got to know about the deal on a website where he downloaded songs before seeing a pop up enquiring if he wanted to receive exam result. He clicked on it and registered so as to start the retailing of the answers among candidates in the area.
On his own part, Alayande Ahmed, said “I got to know about WASSCE questions and answers racketeering on a website after dropping out of secondary at SS2 due to lack of funds but I promised to assist my friends who were preparing to sit for WASSCE at all cost.
“I contacted an admin on a WhatsApp group where answers were being sold to candidates who registered with him after sending to him a N400 recharge card. The subscribers receive questions and answers few hours before their examination”.
Speaking about the nature of the suspects’ alleged crime, Imohimi described it as “a great embarrassment” to Nigeria, which should never occur again.
The Lagos State Police Commissioner advised parents to monitor their wards in preparation for examination instead of indulging them in examination malpractices.
“This is something of national interest and a great embarrassment. We will ensure that this does not repeat itself.
“Parents, guardians, and tutors must also guide their wards not to engage in exam malpractices,’’ Imohimi said.
The police also arrested an alleged fake exam centre operator in Lagos. He is 48 year old Adeniyi Joshua.
His arrest was following a tip off which alleged that the man was running a fake West Africa Examination Council examination centre in Igbogbo, Ikorodu named El-Supreme Private School.
According to Commissioner Imohimi, the suspect was arrested on 25th April following a complaint by a senior member of staff at WAEC international office at Ogba.
“The complainant said there is a fake WAEC centre at El-Supreme Private School located at No. 3, Oseni Adekogbe Street, Igbogbo Ikorodu.
“Operatives of the Command attached to Area ‘G’ Ogba, were mobilised to the above address where one Pastor Adeniyi Joshua of El-Supreme Church was arrested.
“WAEC question papers and answer sheets suspected to be forged were recovered from the suspect,” Mr Imohimi said.