By FUNMILAYO ADEYEMI

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has ?suspected? foul play in the results of Chinedu Okeke, the best candidate in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, JAMB Registrar, at the 2025 policy meeting of the board on Tuesday in Abuja, announced that Okeke, an indigene of Anambra, emerged the best candidate with 375 score, in the examinations.

Oloyede, however, said that the board made some discoveries regarding Okeke, who applied for Mechanical Engineering at the University of Lagos.

Oloyede explained that data from JAMB revealed that Okeke was admitted a year ago, in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), in the School of Medicine.

He said that JAMB wrote UNN for clarification about the candidate, and the school revealed that Okeke is a student of the institution, and he is doing fine.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the development, JAMB Public Communications Advisor, Dr Fabian Benjamin said the board suspected foul play.

?The law does not allow a student to matriculate twice, and as an undergraduate, he has advantage over the other candidates in the examinations.

?In his records, he claimed he is from the South-East while the other record is reading that he is from Lagos state.

?We are suspecting that he is a mercenary in the examination,? Benjamin told NAN in a telephone interview.

NAN reports that the board also announced that John Ayuba from Gombe state came second in the examinations scoring 374, while Olayinka Jimoh from Kwara state scored 373.

Other top scorers are Ayibo Roberts from Rivers, Chibueze Omonugbo from Enugu state Tunmise Olawepo from Kwara and Leslie Afinotan, from Delta, all scoring 373.

Also in the list of top scorers are Chukwuemeka Azoyenime from Delta, Emmanuel Oyebode from Ogun and Cecil Omigie from Edo, all scoring 372 in the examinations. (NAN)

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