At least 400 candidates scheduled to sit for yesterday’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Nigeria’s troubled North-East could not do so because of the Boko Haram insurgency in the region.

A total of 1,606,753 candidates applied for the examination, which held in 392 examination towns in Nigeria and seven foreign centres.

“The affected candidates could not sit for the examination due to fear of Boko Haram attacks, which, at the weekend, claimed scores of lives, most of whom were alleged candidates for yesterday’s examination,” reports The Guardian, adding: “There were reports on Friday that some sect members unleashed attacks on four communities in Borno, precisely Dikwa, Kala Balge, Gambulga and Gwoza, leaving dozens dead.”

However, there is still hope for the affected candidates. According to Fabian Benjamin, Public Relations Officer of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB): “Because of the peculiar security situation in Borno State, we made arrangements for them (Borno UTME candidates) to write their examination somewhere, so they could not have been affected by any form of blast as being claimed.”

On his part, Registrar and Chief Executive of JAMB, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, who monitored the conduct of the examination in Abuja, said the 400 candidates would write their examination at a date to be announced later by the board, adding that their examination would, however, be computer-based.

•Photo shows JAMB candidates.