JAMB Withholds 96 UTME Results, Flags Over 3,600 for Biometric Fraud
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has withheld the results of 96 candidates over various infractions during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), a decline from 123 in the previous year.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed this during a press briefing on Friday in Bwari, Abuja, while officially announcing the release of this year’s UTME results.
According to Oloyede, 2,030,862 candidates registered for the examination, conducted across 882 Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide. Of these, 1,957,000 candidates were verified to sit the exam, while 71,705 were absent. Results for 1,911,551 candidates have been released, while 39,834 are still under scrutiny, with 1,426 under active investigation.
The registrar revealed that 2,157 candidates were flagged for fingerprint mismatches, raising concerns about registration fraud. Notably, 244 candidates were found subscribing to “WhatsApp runs”—illicit groups offering leaked questions—prompting JAMB to withhold their results.
Oloyede said syndicates colluded with CBT centres to manipulate biometric data, leading to 3,656 results being withheld due to “extraneous fingerprints.” The implicated centres include Tigh Technologies Limited; Sascon International School, Maitama, Abuja; Wudil Computer Information Technology, Kano; and Penta M & Centre 2, Sokoto.
He further disclosed that 80 suspects are currently in police custody and may face prosecution.
Regarding underage candidates, Oloyede explained that out of 41,027 applicants below the age of 16, only 467 met performance benchmarks for exemption, though one was disqualified for malpractice.
Additionally, 501 candidates with disabilities sat the exam through JAMB’s Equal Opportunity Group, with one result withheld over impersonation.
Four CBT centres were delisted for technical deficiencies, including venues in Kano, Zaria, Imo, and Ogun States.
Despite these challenges, Oloyede said the 2025 UTME had been among the most successful in recent years, reaffirming the Board’s zero-tolerance stance on malpractice and its resolve to safeguard the integrity of public examinations.
