The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has arrested more than 40 candidates for alleged examination malpractice and impersonation during the ongoing 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
JAMB Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, revealed this on Monday while speaking with journalists at the board’s headquarters. He said the suspects are already in custody and will be prosecuted.
Professor Oloyede stated, “We have arrested over 40 candidates for exam malpractice and impersonation. They are in custody, and they will face the law.”
To stop cheating, JAMB strengthened security at its Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres. Measures include biometric verification during registration and before entering the exam hall, as well as the use of CCTV cameras in all centres. JAMB also banned phones, smartwatches, and Bluetooth devices in exam halls.
The UTME is a major exam taken by students hoping to gain admission into universities and other tertiary institutions in Nigeria. This year, over two million candidates registered for the test.
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Last year, JAMB withheld the results of more than 64,000 candidates due to suspected cheating. However, the board later released some of the results after clearing the candidates of wrongdoing.
This year’s UTME has also raised safety concerns. Some candidates reportedly died in a road accident while traveling to their exam centre on the Oyo-Ogbomoso road. Another candidate went missing after leaving Ajah for her centre in Epe, Lagos, but was later found in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.
Many Nigerians have criticized JAMB for posting candidates to far locations and for early exam times. But JAMB defended itself, saying it did not post any candidate outside the town they selected during registration.
Professor Oloyede also explained the exam schedule: “The first session starts at 8 o’clock, not 6:30 a.m. as printed on the slip. That time is only to make sure candidates arrive early and complete necessary checks before the exam begins.”
He added, “Every reasonable person knows these children are young, and you need to prepare them properly before the exams.”