NECO illegal card deal takes new twist in Nasarawa

The sale of illegal scratch cards for the 2018 June/July Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) by some officials of the National Examination Council (NECO) and their accomplices in Nasarawa State has taken a new twist with the arrest of some private internet café owners.

NECO had refused to release exam results of thousands of students who were said to have obtained the illegal cards which led to a street protest in Lafia, the state capital. Both the state government and NECO have promised to address the complaints and concerns raised by the affected students and parents.

Sources have confirmed that the scratch cards used by the students in Nasarawa State were those procured by Zamfara State for its final year students.

The Commandant of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) in the state, Muhammed Mahmud Fari, confirmed that one of the suspects who owned a cyber cafe in Lafia was arrested following reports that majority of the NECO illegal scratch cards were linked to his business centre.

The NSCDC boss, who declined to reveal the names and identities of the suspects, said the second person was arrested in Katsina, Katsina State, alleged to be the main supplier of the illegal cards smuggled to Nasarawa.

He said, “One person was arrested here in Lafia and he aided the command in the arrest of the second person who is believed to be the supplier of the NECO scratch cards to Nasarawa State. The matter is still under investigation.”

The illegal scratch cards were transacted between some NECO officials, school principals and the cyber cafe at the detriment of thousands of secondary schools students who have legitimately paid the stipulated amounts to their respective school principals and now their examination results are trapped in NECO over the scandal.

The source said, “You know it has been a trend in many states in respect to government sponsored examinations where the number of students is inflated. For example a state has 700 students but the ministry would submit a memo for 1,000 students or more and when that is approved the addition would be transacted outside the state illegally.”

The source further said the illegal transaction could not hold this year “because there was alleged diversion of a good number of scratch cards not paid for in Oyo and Zamfara states. Those who used cards from Zamfara had their results withheld because the payment for those scratch cards isn’t reflected in NECO financial books.”

When our correspondent visited Birawa Cyber Cafe in Lafia, Umar Kaura, confirmed the transaction in NECO scratch cards and his arrest.

Kaura said, “It is true that I was arrested by the corps and EFCC over the NECO examination. I got the scratch cards from a businessman in Katsina State, who has a link with Zamfara officials. The cards were not fake as speculated but are for Zamfara State.

“I, two principals and four NECO staff and NSCDC personnel were taken to Katsina to pick out the source of the scratch cards that had reported himself to the Katsina command of NSCDC,” he said.

The matter is currently under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Nasarawa State, Alhaji Aliyu Agwai, said the affected principals were given two weeks to resolve the financial commitments of their students with NECO or face suspension.

The father of one of the students, Tanko Ahmed, a resident of Keffi said the exam results of his son and many others had not been released.