JAMB withholds 39,834 UTME results over exam malpractices

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has withheld the results of 39,834 candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) over alleged involvement in examination malpractices.

JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, made the disclosure during the official release of the 2025 UTME results in Abuja on Friday. He said the affected results were under investigation, with many linked to serious infractions such as impersonation, biometric fraud, and collusion with rogue computer-based test (CBT) centres.

According to Oloyede, of the withheld results, 3,656 candidates were found to have registered with “extraneous fingerprints,” raising concerns over large-scale impersonation. He noted that in some cases, entire syndicates connived with CBT centres to manipulate candidate data using combined fingerprints.

Additionally, 244 candidates were found to have engaged in “WhatsApp runs,” subscribing to rogue online groups that promised leaked questions. Their results have also been withheld.

The registrar said 96 results were specifically held back due to confirmed cases of malpractice during the exam, while 1,426 are still being scrutinized. He assured that the Board is committed to prosecuting those found guilty.

Oloyede revealed that Anambra State recorded the highest number of suspects, with 14 individuals currently under investigation. In total, 80 persons are being interrogated by law enforcement agencies for various exam-related offences.

Some CBT centres implicated in the malpractices include Tigh Technologies Limited; Sascon International School, Maitama, Abuja; Wudil Computer Information Technology, Kano; and Penta M & Centre 2, Tambuwal LGA, Sokoto State. These centres face possible sanctions.

He added that 2,157 candidates experienced fingerprint mismatches during verification, far above acceptable margins, suggesting further breaches in registration protocols.

On the issue of underage candidates, Oloyede said 41,027 were below the 16-year age requirement, although 467 of them were classified as exceptionally gifted after scoring above the benchmark. One underage high performer was disqualified due to malpractice.

Out of over 1.9 million registered candidates, 1,957,000 were verified to sit the exam, while 71,705 were absent.

Oloyede reaffirmed JAMB’s resolve to rid the examination system of fraud, saying, “We will continue to deploy advanced technology and collaborate with security agencies to safeguard the integrity of our exams.”