Graduates left in limbo as JAMB delays regularization, triggers arrest
By Oluwatoyin Hawal Momolosho
Two years after earning her degree, Bella Adebayo still waits for the opportunity to serve her country through the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). Her journey, like that of many other graduates, has been marred by delays, confusion, and an unexpected arrest linked to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Bella Adebayo, a graduate of Ambrose Alli University, has been struggling to process her JAMB regularization — a mandatory step required before NYSC mobilization. Despite multiple visits to the JAMB office, she was repeatedly told to return another day.
“After two years of graduation from AAU, JAMB still hasn’t completed my regularization,” Adebayo said in frustration.
However, matters took a disturbing turn when she received a call from an unknown number claiming to be from the JAMB office. Expecting progress in her case, she visited the JAMB headquarters in Ikoyi as instructed. But instead of assistance, she and several other students from various institutions were unexpectedly arrested by the police.
“An unknown number called me, saying they were from JAMB headquarter in ikoye. I thought it was finally my turn to go for NYSC,” she recounted. “Instead, I found myself at the Police State Commands in Ikoyi, not knowing what I had done wrong.”
Victor Nsofor, a graduate of University of Calabar, shared her troubling experience, stating that she was arrested without any knowledge of her wrongdoing. According to her, she had gone to the JAMB office at Kado Life Camp in Abuja for her regularization process. However, just as the process was nearing completion, some individuals arrived, and she suddenly found herself taken to the police station.
“At the moment, I’m confused and don’t even know what to do,” she said. “I only went for JAMB regularization, but I ended up at the police station — it’s completely unfair. They even told us to call our parents because we have to pay for our own bail. The government needs to intervene,” she pleaded.
At the Police Station
While being brought to the police station without knowing her offense, Bella Adebayo asked the officers, “What did I do?” They did not answer her immediately but later questioned her about gaining university admission with fake credentials. According to JAMB, there was no record of her being offered admission. Instead, they instructed her to call her parents to come and bail her out.
“After I graduated and was preparing for NYSC, I noticed that I could no longer log into the JAMB portal,” Bella said. “I went to the JAMB office for clarification and to process my regularization, but it’s been two years now with no progress. Now, after being called to the JAMB office again, I’ve been arrested for something I know nothing about. My parents even had to pay for my bail, even though I’ve done nothing wrong.”
While narrating her experience, Victor Nsofor claimed she had received an admission letter from JAMB and had obtained all the necessary documentation required from the board. However, she was shocked to later discover that the admission letter was fake.
“When the police told me that I entered the university through the back door, I told them I had all the evidence,” she said. “But they insisted I received a fake admission and paid money myself before I was released.”
JAMB Feedback
On Wednesday, a JAMB official stated that the board only recognises students who are admitted through the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS).
JAMB’s spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, clarified, “If a student gains admission through the back door into an institution and we are unaware of it, we cannot issue them an admission letter.”
In response to an inquiry by Sahara Reporters on Thursday regarding allegations of extortion against JAMB, Dr Benjamin dismissed the claims as baseless. He emphasised that admissions are governed by established rules and not arbitrary decisions.
He further explained that the term “regularisation” suggests that something was initially done incorrectly. He stressed that proper procedure requires candidates to take the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and fulfil all necessary requirements.
Meanwhile, at the time this story was published, the reporter made efforts to contact the Deans of Student Affairs at both Ambrose Alli University and the University of Calabar to hear their side of the story, inquire about potential adjustments, or understand why students were admitted without JAMB’s knowledge. However, despite reaching out to all the provided contact numbers, none of the calls were successfully answered.
