The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Kano State has assigned 422 personnel to 37 designated centres where the University Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) is currently taking place. The state commandant, Mr Adamu Salihu, disclosed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Wednesday.

The NSCDC officers have been deployed to monitor the examination exercise and provide security at the designated centres. The command has assigned two officers to each of the 37 centres located across the state to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted exercise.

The deployment of NSCDC personnel is in line with the agency’s mandate to maintain peace and protect critical national assets, including the conduct of national examinations. The presence of the officers will also help to deter any potential acts of malpractice, violence or other forms of misconduct that could undermine the integrity of the examination exercise.

The NSCDC has assured the public of its readiness to ensure a peaceful and successful conduct of the UTME in Kano State. The agency has called on all stakeholders to support its efforts in safeguarding the examination centres and upholding the integrity of the examination exercise.

“There will be three sessions of exams for three days and for each session we deployed two officers to monitor the exercise.’’

The Kano State commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr Adamu Salihu, has disclosed that the agency has not received any negative reports on the ongoing University Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in the state. According to him, the exercise has been hitch-free, with no cases of examination malpractice, arrests, or any form of disruption. The environment has also been described as conducive for the examination.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent, who visited some centres, observed that the registration of candidates commenced early, and different experiences were recorded during the process. However, a supervisor at one of the centres, who preferred to remain anonymous, stated that any issues that arose were addressed immediately, and the exercise has been seamless so far.

It is reported that 1.5 million candidates are expected to participate in the UTME exercise nationwide, using a total of 740 centres for the Computer-Based Test (CBT). The smooth conduct of the examination is crucial to ensuring the fairness and integrity of the admissions process into Nigerian universities.