The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially released the results of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), while withholding 39,834 results over various forms of examination malpractice.
Speaking at JAMB headquarters in Bwari on Friday, Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede explained that the withheld results were due to issues such as identity fraud, biometric manipulation, impersonation, and other examination offences. He noted that 1,426 of the withheld results are currently under further investigation.
Out of the withheld results, 96 were directly linked to confirmed cases of malpractice, marking a decline from 123 cases last year. Additionally, 2,157 candidates were flagged for fingerprint-related issues during registration, and these cases are under probe.
According to Oloyede, 1,957,000 candidates were verified for the 2025 UTME, while 71,705 were absent. He highlighted several emerging infractions this year, including the use of combined thumbprints, impersonation during registration (with the help of some CBT centers), double registration, and candidate substitution.
The registrar revealed that 244 candidates were caught engaging in malpractice through “WhatsApp runs,” resulting in their results being withheld as a deterrent.
He also disclosed that 3,656 candidates were affected by multiple fingerprint registrations linked to collusion between candidates and CBT centers. The implicated centers include Tigh Technologies Limited, Sascon International School (Maitama, Abuja), Wudil Computer Information Technology (Kano), and Penta M & Centre 2 (Tambuwal LGA, Sokoto State). These centers face possible sanctions.
Currently, 80 suspects are being interrogated by the police, with most expected to be prosecuted for their roles in various malpractices.
Oloyede further reported that 41,027 underage candidates registered for the examination. Of these, 467 achieved high scores, while one was disqualified for malpractice. He also confirmed that 501 candidates with disabilities received support through the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group; however, one of them was involved in impersonation.
Four CBT centers were delisted and blacklisted due to poor technical performance and irregularities. These are:
-
Adventure Associate, Behind Sheshe Supermarket, Kano
-
Saadatu Rimi College of Education, Zaria
-
Soronara Ventures Nigeria Ltd, Foundation Road, Umudagu Mbieri, Imo State
-
HSS Amazing, Holy Saviour School, Old Ota Road, Itele, Ogun State
The registrar said a comprehensive list of blacklisted individuals and centers involved in fraudulent practices will soon be published.
Despite the challenges, Oloyede described the 2025 UTME as one of the most successful editions in recent years. He reaffirmed JAMB’s zero-tolerance stance on malpractice and pledged continued innovation to uphold exam integrity.
Candidates can check their results by sending ‘UTMERESULT’ via SMS to 55019 or 66019 using the phone number used for registration. Printing of results will commence at a later date.
ADEOLA KUNLE
