By Dipo Olowookere
Four persons have been arrested in Ondo, Edo and Osun States for selling leaked WASSCE May/June, 2018 Examination questions to candidates writing the examination.
The suspects, accused of retailing the exam questions on websites and whatsapps platforms, were apprehended by operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RSS).
According to the security operatives who napped them, the suspects are Samuel Kayode, 28-year-old from Ondo State; Adebayo Ifeoluwa, 17-year-old from Osun State; Alayande Ahmed; and Elusode Festus, 20 years from Edo State. They were all arrested in their respective states.
Samuel Kayode, a part time teacher in two secondary schools in Ilesa, Osun State, disclosed that he also taught Physics and Mathematics in a private tutorial class where he assisted candidates planning to write the WASSCE examination with questions already prepared answers for them.
According to Samuel, after working as a tutorial teacher for seven years, he got a part-time employment in two private schools in Ilesa, where he also helped students preparing for WASSCE with leaked questions and prepared answers, adding that he did this to make a living.
“I got a part-time teaching job when I couldn’t secure a government teaching job after graduating from college of education. When I couldn’t settle for the little salary I was being paid by my employers, I decided to help myself with what I had been doing as a tutorial teacher by helping lazy students source for WASSCE examination questions and answers via some online platforms that deal in the illegal business.
“After registering candidates in their various centers, I then liaise with some anonymous people who we call ‘Web Masters’. The Web Masters have insiders in various examination boards in the country with leaked questions paper and buy such from them,” he explained.
“There are many websites operated by the Web Masters, where leaked WASSCE questions and prepared answers are sold to subscribing candidates. Some of these websites include; www.examloaded.com, www.guruscamp.com, www. ceebook.net, www. Solutionclass.com and www.expotab.com.
“They also hawk NECO, GCE and JAMB examinations papers with answers”, he added.
He explained further that, “The contact person on Web Master is called ‘Dan’ who doesn’t pick calls but only deals on text messages and WhatsApp messages. Mr Dan usually sells answers via WhatsApp or issues a quick login password that can be issued on the website and immediately redirect the user to the page where the already prepared answers are.
“I then retail the answers bought from Mr Dan to candidates who I coordinate carefully on a WhatsApp platform named ‘WAEC VIP’ where they patiently wait to receive the answers to the question after sending to me a N400 recharge cards of any network.
“I demand for N400 recharge card from each candidates for general subject while I charge N800 for Mathematics and English language”
In his own confession, Adebayo Ifeoluwa, 17 years and 200 level Accounting student of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) said he sold leaked WASSCE examination questions and answers to a group on WhatsApp called ‘MCC’ where candidates payed a recharge card of N400 to get examination questions and answers.
“Sometime this year, just before the on-going WASSCE examination, I belonged to a sports betting WhatsApp group where we forecast results of games. One of the members therein sent a broadcast about how to get WASSCE questions and left a WhatsApp link which I joined before thinking of creating my own ‘MCC’ after a thoughtful assumption of how profitable the venture looks”.
Also, Elusode Festus from Ekpoma in Edo State failed school certificate examination before becoming an apprentice at a Welding and metal fabrication shop, also chose the retailing of leaked WASSCE questions and answers as a side hustle.
The 22 year Elusode said he got to know about the deal on a website where he downloaded songs before a pop up advert asked anyone who wants to receive exam result to click, which he did and also registered on the platform so as to start the retailing of the answers among candidates in the area.
On his own part, Alayande Ahmad, said “I got to know about WASSCE questions and answers racketeering on a website after dropping out of secondary at SS2 due to lack of funds but I promised to assist my friends who were preparing to sit for WASSCE at all cost.
I contacted an admin on a WhatsApp group where answers were being sold to candidates who registered with him after sending to him a N400 recharge card. The subscribers receive questions and answers few hours before their examination”.
Parading the suspect, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Imohimi Edgal advised parents to monitor their wards preparing for examination instead of indulging them in examination malpractices.
The suspects have been transferred to the State CID for further investigations.
This arrest came after Punch newspaper published an article revealing how some candidates register with some websites to get questions and answers of WASSCE exam before sitting for it.
Adedapo Adesanya