The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has uncovered widespread examination malpractices in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), including identity fraud, biometric manipulation, and 244 cases of candidates subscribing to so-called “WhatsApp runs” for leaked questions.
This was revealed by the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, during a press conference on Friday at the Board’s headquarters in Bwari, Abuja, where he formally announced the release of the 2025 UTME results.
Prof. Oloyede said the Board had withheld the results of the 244 candidates involved in the cheating syndicate and vowed that severe sanctions would follow.
“244 candidates were caught engaging in ‘WhatsApp runs,’ subscribing to rogue groups promising leaked questions,” he said.
The Registrar noted that the Board detected new trends of examination malpractices that suggest “systemic vulnerabilities or gaps in registration and examination administration or/and monitoring.”
“The new trends observed were in the Registration and Examination processes, and they were mainly in the following categories: Identity Fraud, and Biometric Fraud of Combined Thumbprint of Candidate,” Oloyede stated.
Other infractions identified by JAMB included impersonation during registration, double registration, and attempted substitution of candidates. The Board added that these activities were often carried out in collusion with some CBT centres.
Number of results withheld
JAMB confirmed that it had withheld 96 results due to confirmed infractions, a reduction from 123 withheld results in 2024.
Meanwhile, 39,834 results are still under investigation, and 1,426 candidates are facing scrutiny for suspected malpractice.
“The Board has identified the presence of extraneous fingers in the registration details of some of these candidates. This raises concerns regarding potential strategies for impersonation. A total of 3,656 candidates fall within this category. Consequently, the results of the candidates have been withheld,” Oloyede added.
He noted that 2,157 candidates experienced fingerprint rejections, significantly above normal levels.
CBT centres under investigation
JAMB identified several Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres implicated in aiding malpractice and multiple registrations. The affected centres include:
- Tigh Technologies Limited
- Sascon International School, Maitama, Abuja
- Wudil Computer Information Technology, Kano State
- Penta M & Centre 2, Tambuwal LGA, Sokoto State
Oloyede said some CBT centres allegedly aided candidates in bypassing biometric protocols, noting that in some cases, entire syndicates colluded with CBT centres to register using multiple fingerprints.
- He added that 80 suspects are currently being interrogated by the Nigeria Police over their roles in the examination fraud, and many of them would be prosecuted.
Regarding underage candidates, JAMB said that of the 41,027 candidates below the age of 16 who registered for the UTME, only 467 met the high-performance exemption criteria. One was disqualified for examination malpractice.
More insights
The Registrar also gave updates on the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG), a special initiative designed to provide fair testing conditions for candidates with disabilities, disclosing that 501 of them were successfully examined across 11 centres nationwide, though one candidate was found to have engaged in impersonation.
JAMB has delisted four CBT centres for technical deficiencies and substandard services during the 2025 UTME, which include
- Adventure Associate, Behind Sheshe Supermarket, Kano
- Saadatu Rimi College of Education, Zaria
- Soronara Ventures Nigeria Limited, Mbaitoli, Imo State
- HSS Amazing, Holy Saviour School, Itele, Ogun State
Oloyede noted that a separate list of CBT centres blacklisted for fraudulent practices would be made public soon.