Over 6,400 Candidates At Risk As JAMB Committee Submits Report On 2025 UTME Malpractice Today
Over 6,400 Candidates At Risk As JAMB Committee Submits Report On 2025 UTME Malpractice Today
JAMB made this known in its weekly bulletin published by the office of the registrar and released on Monday.
The Special Committee on Examination Infractions set up by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is expected to submit its much-awaited report to the board’s management today, Monday, September 8, 2025.
JAMB made this known in its weekly bulletin published by the office of the registrar and released on Monday.
The committee, inaugurated in August and chaired by Dr. Jake Epelle of the TAF Foundation, was given three weeks to investigate widespread cases of alleged malpractices during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
According to JAMB, the panel was tasked with seven key mandates, including identifying the methods, patterns, tools, and technologies used in perpetrating examination fraud.
The committee was also to review existing policies and recommend improvements to strengthen the system’s resilience.
The panel was further directed to determine the culpability of 6,458 candidates whose results remain withheld and to suggest appropriate sanctions.
The committee was also expected to look into new, technology-driven forms of malpractice observed during the 2025 UTME and to propose a proactive framework for detection and prevention in future exercises.
The 2025 UTME, held nationwide between April and May, was marred by unprecedented reports of impersonation, artificial intelligence–assisted cheating, and remote access syndicates allegedly hacking into examination servers.
JAMB confirmed at the time that the results of over 6,400 candidates had been withheld pending investigations.
This is not the first time the Board has grappled with mass infractions.
In 2019, JAMB withheld the results of more than 50,000 candidates after uncovering what it described as “widespread collusion.”
Similarly, in 2021 and 2023, hundreds of results were cancelled over biometric mismatches and impersonation cases.
However, the scale of the 2025 incidents is regarded as the most complex yet, with JAMB officials describing it as an evolution in exam malpractice involving high-tech syndicates operating across multiple states.
Education stakeholders are awaiting the committee’s recommendations, which could shape the future of university entrance examinations in Nigeria.
Should a significant number of the 6,458 candidates be found culpable, they risk outright cancellation of results, disqualification from future exams, or possible prosecution.
The board is also under pressure to ensure innocent candidates are not punished unfairly, especially after advocacy groups, including the albinism community, which was exempted from the withheld results list, raised concerns about fairness and transparency.
JAMB is expected to make the committee’s findings public in the coming days.
