JAMB headquarters

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has confirmed the cancellation of results belonging to 6,319 candidates found guilty of technology-driven examination malpractice during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

JAMB had earlier withheld the results of 6,458 candidates suspected of examination fraud and inaugurated a 23-member Special Committee to investigate the cases.

Findings of the Committee

Presenting its report in Abuja on Monday, committee chairman Jake Epelle revealed that the panel discovered:

• 4,251 cases of finger blending (biometric manipulation),
• 190 cases of AI-powered image morphing,
• 1,878 false declarations of albinism, and
• Other cases involving credential forgery, multiple NIN registrations, and syndicate-driven schemes.

Mr Epelle described the malpractice as an “organised, technology-driven, culturally normalised enterprise” involving CBT centres, parents, schools, tutorial operators, and technical accomplices.

“Legal frameworks remain inadequate to tackle biometric and digital fraud, and public confidence in the examination process is dangerously eroding,” he warned.

Recommendations

The committee recommended:

• Deployment of AI-powered biometric anomaly detection, dual verification, and real-time monitoring,
• Establishment of a National Examination Security Operations Centre,
• Creation of a Central Sanctions Registry accessible to schools and employers,
• Amendments to the JAMB Act and Examination Malpractice Act to cover digital fraud,
• Banning bulk school-led registration, and
• Rehabilitation for under-18 offenders under the Child Rights Act.

JAMB’s Response

Receiving the report, JAMB Registrar Prof. Is-haq Oloyede pledged to implement the recommendations within the board’s mandate while consulting the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, on those requiring broader reforms.

“Examination malpractice is not a victimless crime. It cheats hardworking candidates and produces incompetent professionals—engineers who cannot build, doctors who endanger lives, and graduates unfit to contribute to society,” Mr Oloyede said.

UTME 2025 Overview

Over two million candidates registered for the 2025 UTME, with 1.9 million sitting the exam. Only 0.88% (17,025 candidates) scored above 300.