The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disclosed that 80 candidates who participated in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) are in various police detention facilities across the country for their alleged involvement in examination malpractices during the 2025 exercise.

JAMB said the 80 candidates are being interrogated by the police for their involvement in the examination malpractices, and most of them would be prosecuted.

Data released by JAMB indicated that Anambra State was top of the list with 14 candidates arrested for impersonation and picture mismatch. It was followed closely by Lagos State, with 9 candidates arrested for impersonation, spying and possession of mobile phones.

8 candidates were arrested in Delta State for impersonation and possession of mobile phones, while 7 candidates were arrested in Kano State for similar offences.

In Kaduna and Rivers States, 6 candidates were arrested respectively, while Ebonyi and Enugu states recorded 5 arrests each. Imo and Ondo states also had 3 arrests each.

There were also arrests in Abia, Nasarawa, Plateau, Akwa-Ibom, Borno, Edo, Kogi, Ogun, Sokoto, Taraba and Yobe States, based on several examination malpractices.

JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, at a press conference in Abuja, on Friday, said the Board is concerned with the growing changes in malpractices, particularly using digital devices.

Prof. Oloyede noted that statistics from the 2025 UTME indicated a significant reduction in cases of examination infractions, while there is still much work to be done to eradicate the issues entirely, stressing that the various innovative measures introduced by the Board are proving effective.

He further shared that a total of 96 results have been withheld on account of examination infractions, indicating a decrease from 123 the previous year.

?The Board remains resolute in its commitment to eliminating any form of examination malpractice.?

Meanwhile, the 2025 UTME statistics showed the prevalence of some particular types of infractions, which suggests systemic vulnerabilities or gaps in registration and examination administration and/or monitoring.

The new trends observed were in the registration and examination processes, and they were mainly in identity fraud, biometric fraud of combined thumbprint of candidate and impersonator at the point of registration with the active involvement of few CBT centres, double registration, and attempted substitution of self by candidates which is another form of impersonation. (Daily Sun)

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