The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has apprehended Emmanuel Praise Akataka again over his alleged involvement in examination fraud, while warning candidates to steer clear of schemes that promise to alter UTME scores.
JAMB Registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, identified the suspect as a central figure in a network accused of impersonation, identity theft, and online scams targeting prospective candidates.
Through the Board’s Director of Special Duties, Zainab Hamza, Oloyede revealed that Akataka was first arrested for operating under a fake identity, “Official Frederick,” where he ran a WhatsApp platform offering fraudulent services such as score boosting.
Investigations showed that no fewer than 94 candidates were misled into paying for services that never existed.
Despite being granted bail, the suspect allegedly resumed the illegal activity using another alias, “Sir Frederick,” this time collecting ₦70,000 from candidates with promises to stop their registrations from being cancelled.
He reportedly admitted to making about ₦1.5 million from the scam and confessed that all the services he offered were fake.
“I was just trying every means possible to be able to meet up,” he told journalists.
JAMB also uncovered that he used multiple bank accounts to receive payments, including one linked to his late father and another opened under a false identity.
“I was just trying every means possible to be able to meet up,” he told journalists.
Oloyede stressed that the suspect reconnected with the same victims after securing bail, falsely claiming he had links within the Board that could protect them from sanctions.
“Following his release on bail, Mr. Akataka re-established contact with the same candidates he had previously defrauded, falsely claiming that he could prevent the cancellation of their registrations as he was allegedly ‘in contact’ with the Board. It is deeply concerning that the same candidates involved in the initial infraction have again fallen victim. This troubling pattern raises serious concerns about the growing willingness among some candidates to pursue unlawful advantage.”
He reiterated that no individual or group can influence UTME results, warning that “any claim of score enhancement or examination assistance is fraudulent.”
