A Federal High Court sitting in Katsina on Thursday sentenced a young man, Ibrahim Abdulaziz, to three years’ imprisonment for impersonating a candidate during the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
The examination is conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
Trial judge, Hussaini Dadan-Garba, convicted Abdulaziz after finding him guilty of examination malpractice, stressing that the custodial sentence, handed down without an option of fine, would serve as a deterrent to others.
However, the court discharged and acquitted the actual UTME candidate, Bolanwu Emmanuel, who had been standing trial alongside the convict.
Earlier, the prosecution, led by the Police Officer-
in-Charge of Legal in Katsina Command, A.D. Saleh, told the court that Abdulaziz committed the offence on April 30, 2025, at Zee Alpha Academy in Funtua.
He explained that the convict fraudulently presented himself as Emmanuel and sat the examination on his behalf, thereby violating provisions of the Examinations Malpractice Act.
According to the prosecutor, the offence is punishable under Sections 3(1)(a) and (b), and 3(2)(c) of the Act.
To establish its case, the prosecution called three witnesses and tendered the UTME examination slip as evidence.
Defence counsel, M.T. Steve, had challenged the admissibility of the slip, but the court overruled the objection and admitted it as an exhibit.
Abdulaziz, who denied any link with the acquitted candidate and claimed he was also a legitimate UTME candidate, failed to substantiate his defence, leading to his conviction.
The judgment comes amid growing concerns over examination malpractice in Nigeria, with authorities intensifying efforts to clamp down on impersonation and other fraudulent practices in public examinations.
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