UTME Scandal: Court Sentences ‘Professor’ to Six Months in Prison for Attempted Impersonation

A Chief Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, has sentenced a man identified as “Professor” Jide Josiah Jisos to six months in prison for attempting to impersonate his daughter during the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Jisos was reportedly apprehended by officials of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) at Brix Academy, Abuja, where he posed as an observer representing a non-governmental organization. According to a statement from JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, Jisos claimed to be monitoring the examination to ensure its fairness and transparency.

However, Jisos’s intentions unraveled after he was questioned by the head of the JAMB monitoring team, who grew suspicious of his claims. When asked to provide credentials to verify his NGO affiliation, he failed to do so. Further investigation revealed that Jisos had entered the examination center under false pretenses with the intention of assisting his daughter in taking the UTME.

Following his arrest, Jisos admitted to fabricating his story. He was subsequently charged with impersonation and brought before Chief Magistrate Justice Folashade Oyekan. Jisos was found guilty and sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. However, the court granted him the option of a N100,000 fine in lieu of serving the full jail term.