Mmesoma Ejikeme falsified her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination result, giving herself a score of 362 as opposed to an actual score of 249. This was confirmed by the committee of investigation established by the Anambra State Government to look into the examination fraud involving Mmesoma Ejikeme.
The Anglican Girls Secondary School girl in Nnewi admitted to the committee in its eight-page report that she used her phone to alter the false result.
Mmesoma received a lot of attention after the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board announced the UTME results in May. She received a score of 362, making her the exam’s top achiever.
Mmesoma recently attracted Nigerians’ attention after she claimed to be the game’s highest scorer.
READ ALSO: Father Of UTME Candidate Accused Of Result Forgery: “Don’t Kill My Daughter’s Talent”
Mmesoma recently came to the attention of Nigerians after she claimed that being the top scorer had earned her a scholarship from Innocent Chukwuma, Chairman of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing, worth $3 million.
Mmesoma claimed to have received the best score in the 2023 UTME, however JAMB later stated that the student had fabricated the score that she was displaying. The testing organisation said that Mmesoma’s actual score was 249, not 362.
Because of the controversy the matter caused, Governor Chukwuma Soludo established a committee of inquiry to look into it. According to the committee’s report, which was signed by Paul Nwosu, the Anambra State Commissioner of Information, it interviewed Mmesoma, JAMB officials, and other people involved in the process as well.
According to the investigation, JAMB admitted that Mmesoma asked for her results on many occasions and received the same score of 249 overall aggregate for each request.
The Committee stated that Mmesoma admitted in her submission that the JAMB officials’ account of what transpired was a truthful and accurate account of what occurred in front of her principal and the education secretary.
The Committee claimed that it made an effort to understand Mmesoma’s motivations, but she just stated that she was unmotivated.
Mmesoma is supposed to submit a written apology to JAMB, the Anglican Girls Secondary, and the Anambra state government, according to the Committee.
Part of the report stated, “Recall Mr Governor that with the recent release of scores of candidates who applied for admission by the JAMB and subsequent announcement of Nkechiyere Umeh as the candidate with the highest score of 360, Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, a 19-year-old student of Anglican Girls’ Secondary School, Uruagu Nnewi, from Enugu State, protested to the state government that she scored 362 and ought to have been so recognised.
“This has elicited interest and generated serious controversy and misgivings among the general public that the state government in its wisdom decided to constitute a committee of inquiry to look into the under-listed terms of reference; review Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma’s JAMB results and associated documents.
“Conduct interviews with relevant parties, including Mmesoma, JAMB officials and any other individual(s) involved in the process. Provide recommendations based on the findings of the investigation.
“The committee invited Mmesoma, the Principal of Anglican Girls’ Secondary School, and officials of JAMB for an interactive session with the Committee.
“JAMB officials led by Dr Fabian Benjamin, the Head of Public Affairs presented the detailed processes and procedures involved in JAMB admissions, the policy changes that have occurred in the release of UTME scores since 2021 and what specifically transpired between the candidate Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma with registration number: 20230639047FF in her quest to obtain her JAMB score.
“JAMB revealed the different times that Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma made several requests to the JAMB portal asking for her results at different hours, and each of these times (four in number), she received in her phone, same results from JAMB indicating candidate’s UTME Results to Wit: Eng: 64, Phy:54, Bio: 74, Che: 57 with a total aggregate score of 249.
“JAMB disclosed that the candidate was well informed of her correct score. Mmesoma had sent a request to JAMB with a different registration number showing a UTME result of an aggregate score of 362, with Eng: 98, Phy: 89, Bio: 94, and Che: 81. The results she sent differed substantially from the standard JAMB format where she got an appropriate rebuttal stating her real score of 249.
“A number of red flags were also highlighted by JAMB officials showing a different date of birth, different Registration Number, and Notification of results template that has been discarded since 2021, amongst others.
“It was also evident that even the centre name ‘Nkemefuna Foundation (Thomas Chidoka Centre for Human Development as it was known before now) used for the examination was also manipulated where the candidate used the old name of the centre (Thomas Chidoka Centre for Human Development) in her own manipulated result sheet.
“In Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma’s submission, she owned up in the presence of her principal, and the Education Secretary that the narration by the JAMB officials was a true and correct description of what transpired.
“She also admitted to having given a manipulated result by herself unaided, using the same phone Airtel Number.
“According to her, she proceeded to the cybercafé (Prisca Global Computers, Uruagu, Nnewi) where she printed the results she had manipulated.
“The Committee tried to find out the motive behind her action, but Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma said nothing.
“In their own submissions, the Principal Anglican Girls’ Secondary School, Uruagu, Nnewi, and the Education Secretary — Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion) expressed shock at what transpired where in their presence, Mmesoma admitted to have manipulated her UTME results, deceiving the school, her immediate family and the state government.”
