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Abuja – A concerning new wave of UTME malpractices has surfaced, with Anambra and Lagos states leading in the number of suspects apprehended. Police are currently interrogating 80 individuals for their alleged roles in various fraudulent activities during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, made this known during a press briefing at the JAMB headquarters in Abuja on Friday. He revealed that investigators observed alarmingly innovative methods of exam fraud during both the registration and examination stages this year.
Sophisticated Fraud Tactics Uncovered in UTME Malpractices
Prof. Oloyede detailed the ingenious new strategies deployed by fraudsters. “These include identity fraud, biometric manipulation, use of combined thumbprints from candidates and impersonators at registration points, double registrations, and attempted substitution of candidates,” he stated. Some Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres are also suspected of colluding in these malpractices. JAMB has pledged to rigorously identify and penalize all individuals and centres involved.
State-by-State Breakdown of Arrests
The data released by JAMB paints a clear picture of the hotspots for these UTME malpractices:
- Anambra: Recorded the highest number with 14 suspects. These arrests were predominantly for impersonation (13 cases) and one instance of a picture mismatch.
- Lagos: Followed closely with nine suspects. These individuals were apprehended for a combination of impersonation, spying, and the illegal possession of mobile phones during the examination.
- Delta: Saw eight suspects arrested, all for impersonation.
- Kano: Had seven suspects detained for impersonation and possessing mobile phones.
- Kaduna: Recorded six arrests, also for impersonation and mobile phone possession.
- Rivers: Six suspects were caught for impersonation, along with having mobile phones and calculators.
- Ebonyi and Enugu: Each had five suspects arrested for impersonation.
Blind Candidate Hires Blind Impersonator
In a particularly audacious case of UTME malpractices, Prof. Oloyede disclosed that a blind UTME candidate hired another blind individual to impersonate him. The hired impersonator is reportedly an undergraduate student. This incident underscores the desperate lengths some candidates will go to circumvent the examination process.
UTME Results Show Sobering Performance
The 2025 UTME results were officially made public on Friday. Coinciding with the fraud revelations, JAMB released performance statistics for the approximately 1.9 million candidates who sat for the exam. The figures reveal a “staggering outcome,” as described in one report, with over 1.5 million candidates (more than 75%) scoring below 200 out of a possible 400 marks. This score is generally considered an average benchmark. The UTME assesses candidates in four core subjects. English Language is compulsory, while the other three subjects are chosen based on the candidate’s intended course of study.
By Abiodun Labi
