The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has ordered tertiary institutions found to have violated admission procedures to immediately reverse such admissions.
The directive followed the discovery of cases where candidates with higher rankings were allegedly bypassed in favour of those with lower scores, a practice JAMB described as a clear breach of established admission rules.
The board announced the decision in its weekly bulletin released on Monday in Abuja and signed by its Public Communication Adviser, Fabian Benjamin.
According to the bulletin, JAMB observed that some institutions conducted admissions in a manner that undermined merit, noting that “higher-ranked candidates are reportedly being skipped in favour of lower-ranked candidates.”
JAMB said it had issued warnings to the affected institutions and instructed them to undo all irregular admissions without delay.
It also reiterated the need for strict compliance with admission guidelines across all tertiary institutions.
The board restated that admissions into higher institutions are guided by a three-tier structure of Merit, Catchment Area, and Educationally Less Developed States, with ranking remaining the overriding criterion at every stage.
“Candidates must be selected strictly in order of ranking, starting with the highest. Any deviation from this principle under any category will not be tolerated,” the board warned.
Meanwhile, JAMB dismissed allegations by a candidate who claimed she was unjustly denied admission by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, despite scoring high marks.
The board said its investigation showed that several candidates with higher rankings were ahead of her, making her non-admission consistent with due process.
JAMB clarified that while some institutions were indeed found to have breached admission rules, the complainant was not among those affected by the identified irregularities.
Reaffirming its commitment to fairness and transparency, the board stressed that no candidate with a higher ranking would be displaced by one with a lower score.
It also cautioned candidates against spreading unverified claims on social media, advising them to seek clarification through official channels rather than promoting unfounded allegations online.
