The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disclosed that Anambra and Lagos states lead in the number of suspects involved in examination malpractice during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
During a press briefing held at JAMB headquarters in Abuja on Friday, the Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, revealed that 80 individuals are currently being interrogated by the police in connection with various forms of exam fraud.
Prof. Oloyede noted that the board uncovered “new methods of exam fraud” throughout the registration and examination phases.
“These include biometric manipulations, such as “combined thumbprints of candidates and impersonators at registration points in connivance with some CBT centres,” double registration, and attempted substitution of candidates during the examination.
According to the breakdown, Anambra had the highest number of arrests with 14 suspects.
The offenses recorded include 13 cases of impersonation and one instance of picture mismatch.
Lagos followed with nine suspects facing charges related to impersonation, spying, and possession of mobile phones.
Other states where suspects were apprehended include Delta (eight suspects for impersonation), Kano (seven suspects for impersonation and possession of mobile phones), and Kaduna (six suspects for impersonation and mobile phone possession).
Rivers State also recorded six arrests involving impersonation, possession of mobile phones, and calculators.
Ebonyi and Enugu States each had five suspects, all arrested for impersonation.
Prof. Oloyede shared one particularly troubling case involving a blind candidate who attempted to cheat the system in an unusual manner.
“A blind candidate hired a fellow blind man as an impersonator to sit the 2025 UTME on his behalf,” he said.
He added that “the blind impersonator is an undergraduate.”
Meanwhile, JAMB officially released the results of the 2025 UTME on Friday.
DAILY GAZETTE reports that statistics from the board show that of the 1.9 million candidates who sat for the exam, over 1.5 million scored below 200, the midpoint on the 400-mark scale.
The UTME tests candidates in four subjects, with Use of English being compulsory, while the other three are based on the candidate’s intended course of study.
