Victoria Mbangwa
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has suspended over 12,000 results from the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) over suspected irregularities, even as it confirmed the disbursement of N3 billion to Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across the country for services rendered during the examination cycle.
The examination body disclosed on Monday that 12,617 results are currently under investigation for a range of issues, including technical malfunctions, biometric failures, and registration infractions. The review follows concerns raised after the release of UTME results on May 9, which showed that over 1.5 million out of 1.9 million candidates scored below 200 out of 400.
According to data obtained by The PUNCH, more than 2,000 results were withheld due to biometric verification failures, over 3,000 due to fingerprint mismatches, 6,114 flagged for registration irregularities, 130 for image blending issues, and 122 results are under scrutiny for suspected examination malpractice.
Amid the controversy, JAMB revealed that only 597 candidates under the age of 16, out of more than 40,000 who sat for the exam, scored satisfactorily. The remaining 39,002 candidates in that category were classified as having underperformed, further intensifying the public debate over the credibility of the 2025 UTME.
Following widespread complaints, especially from candidates in Lagos and South-East states who experienced technical hitches and disruptions during the exam, JAMB organised a resit for 379,000 affected candidates. The board said additional payments to CBT centres handling the resit are being processed and will be completed after mop-up tests are conducted.
JAMB also confirmed that its internal investigation uncovered both human and technical errors during the conduct of the examination. It noted that corrective measures were being taken to prevent a recurrence and restore confidence in its examination processes.
Despite the challenges, the board maintained that the disbursement of N3 billion to accredited CBT centres nationwide was in line with contractual agreements and performance during the UTME cycle.
As scrutiny intensifies, stakeholders continue to call for deeper reforms and improved oversight of the examination process, which plays a crucial role in determining admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions.
