The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that an unidentified group has burgled and reduced to ashes its newly completed duplex in Mbano, Imo State, which houses a mega Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre.
The Board said the unfortunate incident has been promptly reported to the relevant security agencies.
Such an act it said is profoundly disheartening, saying there can be no justification for this regressive action, even in the light of rumours suggesting that the adjacent building owned by the National Open University was intended for the training of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
The CBT centre was recently equipped with 275 high-capacity computers, with plans for a second hall to accommodate an additional 275 computers, enabling 500 candidates to sit for the Board’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) simultaneously.
This initiative, according to the Board was designed to alleviate the challenges faced by candidates in the town and its surrounding areas.
In its unwavering commitment to expand educational infrastructure nationwide for the annual CBT examinations, the Board identified Mbano as a crucial location for such a mega centre, alongside similar initiatives in other regions. It said this distressing incident starkly contrasts with their aspirations to enhance educational opportunities for aspiring candidates.