The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has confirmed that 80 suspects are under police interrogation for their involvement in malpractices during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
JAMB Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede revealed this during a Friday press briefing at JAMB’s headquarters in Abuja.
Oloyede said new methods of exam fraud were observed during the registration and examination processes, including identity fraud, biometric fraud involving combined thumbprints of candidates and impersonators at registration points with the involvement of some CBT centres, double registration, and attempted substitution of self by candidates.
According to him, Anambra had the highest number, with 14 suspects arrested for 13 cases of impersonation and one picture mismatch.
Lagos follows with nine suspects arrested for two cases of impersonation, two cases of spying, and five cases of possession of mobile phones.
Other states with notable arrests include Delta, with eight suspects for impersonation; Kano, with seven suspects for five and two mobile phones; and Kaduna, with six suspects for five and one mobile phone.
Moreover, six suspects were arrested in Rivers for three impersonations, one mobile phone, and two calculators, while Ebonyi and Enugu had five suspects each for impersonation.
One suspect each was also arrested in Imo, Ondo, Abia, Nasarawa, Plateau, Akwa-Ibom, Borno, Edo, Kogi, Ogun, Sokoto, Taraba, and Yobe, with various forms of malpractice alleged, including impersonation, spying, possession of mobile phones, and double registration.
The Registrar added that in a desperate bid to tarnish the image of the Board, specific candidates smuggled cameras and phones into the examination hall to capture the live questions and circulate the images as if they were obtained elsewhere.
He added that 244 results were withheld due to candidates engaging in “WhatsApp examination runs,” where they sought assistance from fraudulent websites.
“The Board’s decision to withhold the results of this category of candidates to send a clear message that those who engage in such activities are complicit in wrongdoing, regardless of whether the efforts succeed or fail,” he said.
He also highlighted issues with biometric verification, revealing that 2,157 candidates could not confirm their candidature due to failed biometric authentication.
The initial report from registration centres of 578 candidates whose biometric details were allegedly not capturable during the registration for whom the Board created another opportunity.
“Many of them were successfully captured and verified for registration and could sit the examination without any hindrances. Only 69 candidates were granted an exemption from the biometric verification process.
He added that investigations are ongoing, and candidates found to be blameless will be rescheduled to take the examination.
“A total of 3,656 candidates fall within this category. Consequently, the results of the candidates have been withheld,” he said.
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