UTME 2025: JAMB uncovers 6,319 cases of ‘tech-driven’ cheating

A Special Committee set up to investigate examination infractions in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) has recommended the cancellation of results belonging to 6,319 candidates found guilty of technology-driven examination infractions.

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) had withheld the results of 6,458 candidates from the 2025 UTME after suspecting them of involvement in ‘technology-driven examination malpractice’.

JAMB Registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, subsequently inaugurated a committee to investigate the infractions and report back to the board for necessary action.

The committee

The 23-member committee, inaugurated on 18 August, was tasked with determining the culpability of 6,458 candidates suspected of examination irregularity right from the point of registration.

Mr Oloyede also asked the committee to recommend appropriate disciplinary actions or sanctions against individuals found culpable and propose a proactive framework for the detection, deterrence and prevention of similar infractions in the future.

Membership of the committee include representatives from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Nigerian Police Force National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NPF-NCCC), the State Security Services (SSS), JAMB’s Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG), the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Nigerian universities, and the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), and the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS).

The JAMB Registrar explained that the job of the committee covers only infractions committed at the point of registration and not at the examination hall or during the Computer-Based Test (CBT).

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Findings

Presenting its report to the JAMB Registrar on Monday, the committee’s Chairman, Jake Epelle, said it found 4,251 cases of finger blending, 190 cases of AI image morphing, and 1,878 false declarations of albinism.

Mr Epelle listed other violations to include credential forgery, multiple National Identity Number (NIN) registrations, and syndicate-driven schemes involving CBT centres, schools, parents, tutorial operators, and technical accomplices.

He noted that examination malpractice has evolved into a highly organised, technology-driven, and culturally normalised enterprise.

“This fraud is not the work of candidates alone; it is sustained by syndicates involving some CBT centres, schools, parents, tutorial operators, and even technical accomplices,” he said.

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

Recommendations

Mr Epelle’s committee recommended a multi-layered framework built on “detection, deterrence, and prevention.”

The committee proposed the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered biometric anomaly detection, dual verification systems, real-time monitoring, and a National Examination Security Operations Centre.

It also recommended cancelling the results of confirmed fraudulent candidates, imposing bans of 1–3 years, prosecuting both candidates and their collaborators, and creating a Central Sanctions Registry accessible to institutions and employers.

It also recommended that the board ban bulk school-led registration of candidates.

“Amend the JAMB Act and the Examination Malpractice Act to recognise biometric and digital fraud, and provide for a Legal Unit within JAMB,” Mr Epelle said.

“Launch a nationwide Integrity First campaign, embed ethics into curricula, and enforce parental accountability…For under-18 offenders, apply rehabilitative measures under the Child Rights Act, with a focus on counselling and supervised re-registration.”

JAMB Registrar speaks

Receiving the report, Mr Oloyede assured that the board would prioritise implementation of the recommendations, particularly those within its mandate.

He said the board would also consult with the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, for the recommendations outside of its mandate.

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

He also appreciated the members of the committee for their dedication and professionalism to the task.

UTME 2025

Over two million candidates registered for this year’s UTME, out of which over 1.9 million sat the examination.

READ ALSO: Alleged N5.2bn Fraud: Ex-JAMB registrar reopens settlement talks with ICPC after losing no-case submission

Apart from the UTME held in April, JAMB also conducted a rescheduled UTME for over 300,000 candidates in May after it found that a glitch affected their results, and a Mop-up in June for candidates who missed it.

The initial glitch affected candidates in 65 CBT centres in Lagos State and 92 centres across Anambra, Imo, Abia, Ebonyi, and Enugu states.

JAMB found the errors after it conducted a review of UTME results following widespread concerns of low scores by candidates with a track record of better performance in both the UTME and other examinations.

Mr Oloyede, a professor, admitted the errors, apologised to the candidates and announced the rescheduling of the UTME for affected candidates.

According to the board, only 17,025 or 0.88 per cent of the 1.9 million candidates who sat this year’s UTME scored above 300.

It explained that 117,373 or 6.08 per cent scored above 250 points, and 565,988 or 29.3 per cent scored above 200 points.

JAMB added that 1.3 million candidates, or 70.7 per cent, scored less than 200 points in the UTME.