Nigeria Student Forum

A number of candidates for the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Kaduna have said they were disallowed to sit for the exams due to biometric verification challenges.

This was even as the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) pledged to review cases.

Our correspondent gathered that some candidates, who were at their respective Computer Based Test (CBT) centres in Kaduna for the exams on Saturday and Monday, could not be verified by thumbprint scanners.

At El-Khalil ICT Ltd, one of the CBT centres in Malali Kaduna, six candidates were not allowed to write the exam due to poor quality fingerprint or fingerprint rejection.

Ibrahim Annas, who was at the centre said he was alarmed that the biometric verification machine could not authenticate him.

“They told us that we may be scheduled another time but I am worried,” he said.

On her part, Helen Onietan who said her son could not be verified at Amal CBT centre, Tudun Wada, also expressed worry that the situation had weakened the resolve of many candidates who helplessly watched as others were examined.

The Head Media and Information, JAMB, Dr Fabian Benjamin, confirmed that there were candidates denied the opportunity to write the exam based on fingerprint complications, while those with legitimate reasons would write the exam after board’s resolution.