Police arrest 17 school principals, teachers for exam malpractices

The police on Friday arrested 17 school principals and teachers for their involvement in examination malpractices.

They were said to have leaked the questions to students during the August/September West African Examination Council examinations across the country.

The Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, who paraded the suspects at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Friday, said the examination body is collaborating with the Nigeria Police Force to strengthen the integrity of its examination processes.

He said, “It is in line with this new approach and partnership that we present to you today (Friday), a total of 17 suspects arrested from different parts of the country.

“Paradoxically, the bulk of these suspects who are aiding the perpetration of the fraud and exam malpractices all happen to be persons who were employed, trained and paid to promote the educational system. I am talking of teachers. All of them are teachers.

“They are the ones that work as supervisors, invigilators or as the host teachers in the schools the exams are conducted.”

He cautioned members of the public, including parents, guardians, teachers and candidates to stop engaging in exam malpractices, noting that the force has developed robust technologies that can detect, trace and apprehend perpetrators of exam malpractices.

“All these suspects would be arraigned before competent courts of law in the country. As I speak to you, some of them have already been charged to court,” Mba said.

Mrs Omolemi Hassan, who represented the Head of National Office, WAEC Nigeria and Registrar to Council, appreciated the police for their collaboration.

She stated, “During the exams, many people were talking about leakage and so on. There was no leakage at all.

“It was just a situation where those we trusted with our question papers, those who were nominated by Ministries of Education in different states were the ones after we gave them questions papers may be at 9am for an exam of 9.30am, they stopped to take pictures and put on websites and WhatsApp groups. They are indeed the ones who have tried to scuttle our efforts.”

One of the suspects, who is the principal of a private secondary school in Rivers State said he did not do it for monetary gain.

He explained that was only trying to “help students in my school pass the examinations because the coronavirus (pandemic) has kept them home all this while and they have not been able to study.”