Court Jails UTME Impersonator for Three Years, Frees Original Candidate
A Federal High Court sitting in Katsina has sentenced Ibrahim Abdulaziz, to three years imprisonment for impersonating a candidate during the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Hussaini Dadan-Garba found Abdulaziz guilty of the offence and imposed a three-year jail term without the option of a fine. The judge noted that the sentence was intended to serve as a deterrent to others.
In the same ruling, the court discharged and acquitted the first defendant, Bolanwu Emmanuel, who was the original UTME candidate.
According to the prosecution, led by the Officer-in-Charge, Legal, Katsina Police Command, Mr A.D. Saleh, the offence occurred on April 30, 2025, at Zee Alpha Academy in Funtua, Katsina State. Abdulaziz was said to have fraudulently presented himself as Emmanuel during the examination.
The prosecution stated that the offence contravened Sections 3(1)(a) and (b), and 3(2)(c) of the Examinations Malpractice Act, Cap E15, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
During the trial, the prosecution presented three witnesses and tendered the examination slip as evidence. Although the defence counsel, M.T. Steve, objected to the admissibility of the slip, the court overruled the objection and admitted it as an exhibit.
Abdulaziz had denied any connection with the first defendant and claimed to be a legitimate candidate, but failed to substantiate his claim before the court.
