For most of Nigeria's 2.2 million UTME candidates, the days before 16 April are filled with last minute revision and logistical preparation. For candidates in Jos, the more pressing question is whether they will be able to reach their examination centres at all.

The security crisis that has gripped parts of Plateau State in recent weeks has left candidates in Jos North Local Government Area and surrounding communities uncertain about their ability to move freely across the city on examination day. Residents have described lingering tension following violent attacks by unidentified gunmen that left multiple casualties and triggered a curfew in affected areas. Neighbourhood divisions heightened by the unrest have made certain routes and communities difficult to navigate, and for candidates whose assigned CBT centres sit on the wrong side of those divides, the problem is immediate and practical.

One candidate, Ibrahim Sallau, described his predicament while attempting to print his examination slip along Bauchi Road. He said he could not safely travel to Gada Biyu, the location of his assigned centre, given the current situation in the area. Another candidate, James Caleb, said his centre along Bauchi Road would be difficult to access from his home in Tudun Wada during periods of unrest.

Several candidates have specifically called for the examination portal to be reopened to allow centre relocation requests, arguing that being assigned to an unsafe or inaccessible location through no fault of their own should not cost them a year of academic progress. Others have asked for special arrangements that would allow affected candidates to sit the examination at closer or more accessible venues.

No official response has been issued addressing the specific concerns of candidates in Plateau State, and the examination schedule remains unchanged as of the time of writing.

The situation raises a question that goes beyond this examination cycle: when a security crisis makes it impossible for some candidates to access their assigned centres, what responsibility does an examination body carry for ensuring that those candidates are not quietly excluded from a process that determines the course of their academic lives?