JAMB Releases 2025 UTME Results, Withholds Nearly 40,000 Over Exam Malpractices
ABUJA The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Friday officially released the results of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), while withholding 39,834 results over various forms of examination malpractice and infractions.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, made the announcement during a press briefing held in Abuja, where he also disclosed that 80 individuals are currently under investigation for their alleged roles in aiding or participating in the malpractices.
Malpractice Trends and Investigations
According to Prof. Oloyede, the withheld results are under scrutiny for issues ranging from identity fraud, biometric manipulation, impersonation during registration, double registration, and the use of rogue social media platforms for cheating.
He revealed that 3,656 candidates had their results seized due to extraneous fingerprints, signaling a potential strategy for impersonation during the registration process. Some Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres were allegedly complicit in the fraudulent activities.
The JAMB Registrar identified the implicated centres as:
Tigh Technologies Limited
Sascon International School, Maitama, Abuja
Wudil Computer Information Technology, Kano
Penta M & Centre 2, Tambuwal LGA, Sokoto
These centres are currently under investigation and may face sanctions.
Oloyede added that 244 candidates were caught engaging in what he described as “WhatsApp runs,” subscribing to groups that promised leaked exam questions. Their results have been withheld pending further action.
Statistics: Absentees, Rejections, and Top Performers
Out of the 1,957,000 registered candidates, 71,705 were absent from the exams. An additional 2,157 candidates experienced fingerprint rejections due to biometric inconsistencies.
Of the results released, JAMB noted a significant performance gap, with over 75% of candidates scoring below 200, while less than 1% scored above 300.
Underage Candidates and Special Exemptions
In line with the Federal Ministry of Education’s enforcement of a minimum age requirement of 16 years for UTME candidates, Prof. Oloyede revealed that 41,027 underage candidates registered for the 2025 exams.
However, only 467 of them met the Board’s high-performance benchmark. One of these candidates was disqualified for malpractice. The Registrar emphasized that while exemptions were granted to “exceptionally gifted” minors, stricter monitoring would be enforced going forward.
Star Performer: Warri Student Scores 334
Among the top scorers is Oritsemeyiwa Precious Ebule, a 16-year-old final-year student of Federal Government College (FGC), Warri, Delta State, who recorded an impressive 334 out of 400 in the UTME.
Ebule, who scored 98 in Mathematics, 98 in Physics, 85 in Chemistry, and 53 in English, is among the top 1% of candidates nationwide.
He is a Mathematics columnist with Fresh Angle International and the author of MathsGE With MeyiBule. His father, Ebule Anthony Metsese, is the Co-Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper.
Ebule also scored 326 in the UTME mock examination conducted on April 10. His preferred course of study is Mechanical Engineering at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Effurun, Delta State.
JAMB Reaffirms Commitment to Exam Integrity
Prof. Oloyede reiterated JAMB’s commitment to curbing examination fraud and restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s tertiary entrance examination system.
He noted: “The 2025 UTME revealed certain systemic vulnerabilities. However, the Board remains determined to eliminate impersonation, identity fraud, and any form of malpractice.”
Meanwhile, investigations into all flagged cases are ongoing, with several suspects already facing police interrogation. The Registrar assured that those found guilty will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
Reference
JAMB Releases 2025 UTME Results, Withholds Nearly 40,000 Over Exam Malpractices