The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board officially announced the release of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday.
Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede revealed that out of over 1.9 million candidates who sat for the examination, the board withheld results for 39,834 individuals due to various irregularities.
“A total of 39,834 results remain unreleased. Of these, 1,426 results are under scrutiny and processing,” Oloyede stated. The registrar noted that 96 candidates had their results withheld specifically for examination malpractice, showing improvement from the 123 cases recorded in the previous year. He emphasized JAMB’s unwavering commitment to eliminating all forms of examination fraud.
The examination recorded 1,957,000 verified candidates, with 71,705 absentees. Oloyede disclosed that 2,157 candidates experienced fingerprint rejections due to suspected registration infractions, a figure he described as unacceptably high and currently under investigation.
“The 2025 UTME showed the prevalence of some particular types of infractions, which suggests systemic vulnerabilities or gaps in registration and examination administration and/or monitoring,” he explained.
Among the emerging malpractice trends, Oloyede identified identity fraud, biometric fraud involving combined thumbprints, impersonation during registration with some CBT centre involvement, double registration, and attempted candidate substitution. A concerning 244 candidates were caught engaging in “WhatsApp runs,” subscribing to rogue groups promising leaked questions, with their results immediately withheld as a deterrent.
The registrar revealed that in some sophisticated cases, entire syndicates colluded with CBT centres to register candidates using multiple fingerprints.
“The Board has identified the presence of extraneous fingers in the registration details of some of these candidates. This raises concerns regarding potential strategies for impersonation,” Oloyede said. Consequently, results for 3,656 candidates with suspicious fingerprint records have been withheld, while four implicated CBT centres face sanctions.
The blacklisted centres include Tigh Technologies Limited, Sascon International School in Maitama, Abuja, Wudil Computer Information Technology in Kano State, and Penta M&A Centre 2 in Sokoto. Oloyede added that 80 suspects are currently undergoing police interrogation, with most expected to face prosecution. A comprehensive list of all blacklisted centres and individuals involved in fraudulent activities will soon be made public.
Regarding underage candidates, Oloyede explained that while the Ministry of Education enforces a minimum age of 16 for UTME, exceptions were made for 467 “exceptionally gifted” candidates out of 41,027 underage registrants. However, one underage candidate was disqualified for examination malpractice.
The board also provided special arrangements for persons with disabilities, successfully examining 501 candidates through the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group across 11 nationwide centres. Sadly, one such candidate was involved in impersonation.
Despite these challenges, Oloyede maintained that the 2025 UTME has been one of the most successful in recent years. He reaffirmed JAMB’s zero-tolerance policy towards malpractice and pledged continued innovation to safeguard the integrity of public examinations.
For candidates checking their results, Oloyede instructed: “To check the 2025 UTME results, candidates should send by text message ‘UTMERESULT’ as one word to 55019 or 66019 using the same phone number they had used to register during the registration process. Result printing will be available later.” The registrar’s comprehensive briefing underscored JAMB’s determination to maintain examination standards while adapting to evolving malpractice tactics.