The Police at Force headquarters on Thursday paraded four suspects made up of three teachers and secondary school student who were arrested for examination malpractices in the recently conducted West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exams.
The suspects are Mr Ibuokanma Darlington, 35 years, native of Umundi , Anambra state who teaches English at a secondary school in Nnewi, Mr. Ernest Kelechi, 33 year native of Orumba South, Anambra state who teaches physics and mathematics at Community Secondary School, Ugiah, Anambra state and Mr. Godstime Onuoha, 35 years from Ngor Okpala, Imo State who teaches English.
Speaking during the parade, Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba said the suspects all committed the offence of using their smart phones to transmit WAEC examination questions which was ongoing through the social media to certain beneficiaries contrary to the ethics of WAEC.
Mba said, “We find this very disturbing because teachers are supposed to be custodians of the highest ethics and standards in discipline and integrity when it relates to education. The Nigerian Police force under the leadership of IGP Abubakar Adamu has consequently evolved new mechanisms for monitoring not only students but teachers and invigilators during examinations”.
“We are collaborating with WAEC to ensure that all forms of examination malpractices are reduced to the barest minimum”
While noting that detectives from the Cyber Crime units of the Police force handled the investigation and arrested the suspects, he said investigation is ongoing to arrest other accomplices and beneficiaries.
A senior WAEC official, Mr. Yusuf Ari, Director of Administration, WAEC Nigerian National Office, disclosed that the organization was putting strategies in place, in conjunction with the police to track such malpractices using the social media.
He said, “One of the biggest challenges of examination institutions or agencies within Nigeria and all over the world is the issue of examination malpractices. If the integrity of the process is compromised, the integrity of the examination will be in doubt.
“In those days, it was analogue method of cheating. They smuggle textbooks, cardboards and blackboards. Now it is smart phones. They snap the exams questions, send it to their accomplices who answer the questions and send it to the whatsapp platform.
“With our collaboration with the police, we can now track the sender and the receiver”.
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