Candidates shun JAMB centres at UNIMAID over bomb attack

Some candidates who were supposed to take the unified tertiary matriculation examination (UTME) in the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) refused to show up on Saturday as a result of the suicide attack in the institution.

Suicide bombers had earlier detonated their explosives within the university, killing a security guard and injuring one soldier.

The six UTME centres in the university recorded low turnout as a result of the incident.

Kaka John, a staff of the Joint Tertiary Matriculation Examination (JAMB), said the exam did not commence on time because of the blast.

She said the incident made many candidates avoid the school.

“We were supposed to start very early at 9am, but I think because of the fear, the students did not show up. This made us to start around 10am,” she said.

“Also, the security agencies did not also show up on time because many of them had moved to the scene of the blasts. Also the NSCDC did not show up on time.”

Haliru Umar, the JAMB supervisor at two of the centres, said about 4,000 students would be sitting for the exam in the centre.

“In this centre this morning, we started with about 250 students. We still have about 17 more sessions for the exams,” she said.

She added that the exercise had been very successful “as some of the candidates have started coming out”,

“We have taken good security measures by providing sufficient security to protect the students to enable them write their exams successfully,” she said.

Halima Isa, one of the candidates, admitted she wrote the exam with fear.

“We were scared because there was bomb last but I think everything is fine now,” she said.