THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has released data that reveals Anambra and Lagos states recorded the highest number of suspects currently under police investigation for malpractice during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, revealed at a press conference held at the Board’s headquarters in Abuja on Friday that several new forms of exam fraud were uncovered during the registration and testing phases.
These include identity theft, biometric manipulation involving shared thumbprints between candidates and impersonators, double registrations, and candidate impersonation — often in collusion with some Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres.
The report showed Anambra leading with 14 suspects involved in 13 impersonation cases and one involving mismatched photos. Lagos followed with nine suspects apprehended for impersonation, spying, and the illegal possession of mobile phones.
Other states with significant arrests include Delta (8 suspects), Kano (7), and Kaduna (6) — mostly for impersonation and illegal device possession. Rivers also recorded six arrests for impersonation and possession of prohibited items such as phones and calculators. Ebonyi and Enugu had five suspects each, primarily for impersonation.
In a striking case highlighted by Oloyede, a blind candidate hired another visually impaired person—an undergraduate—to impersonate him in the exam.
JAMB officially released the 2025 UTME results on Friday. Out of the 1.9 million candidates who sat for the exam, over 1.5 million scored below 200 out of a possible 400 — a performance considered below the national average.
The UTME assesses candidates in four subjects, including the compulsory Use of English and three others relevant to their proposed field of study.
