JAMB Releases Mop-Up UTME Results, Cracks Down on Fake Admission Syndicat

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the results of its mop-up Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted on June 28, while intensifying efforts to dismantle a syndicate involved in issuing fake admission letters.

In a statement issued on Sunday by JAMB’s Head of Public Affairs and Protocol, Dr Fabian Benjamin, the board said results have been released for 11,161 candidates out of 96,838 scheduled for the mop-up exam.

Candidates who are yet to access their results were advised to follow the official procedure by sending “UTMERESULT” as a single word to 55019 or 66019 using the phone number used during registration. Benjamin noted that failure to comply with this process was the main reason some candidates could not retrieve their scores.

Meanwhile, JAMB provided a comprehensive update on its investigation into a fake admission letter syndicate operating across the country.

With the support of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC), the board arrested five key suspects, who confessed to forging and selling fake admission letters. They are currently facing trial at the Federal High Court, Abuja, in the case: Inspector General of Police vs Effa Leonard and Four Others.

JAMB revealed that 17,417 candidates were linked to the syndicate. Between 2024 and May 2025, the board cleared 6,903 of these candidates after minor discrepancies were resolved. However, 10,514 were referred to police investigation units, out of which 5,669 were found to have obtained completely forged admission letters.

An additional 4,832 candidates were flagged for attempting to bypass JAMB’s official process for undisclosed admissions – a category formerly covered under a 2017–2020 ministerial waiver.

Thirteen more candidates were identified for individual infractions, mostly dating back to the introduction of the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) in 2017. These candidates were traced to various institutions, including Bayero University Kano, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Ramat Polytechnic Maiduguri, Federal University of Technology Akure, Ekiti State University, Yaba College of Technology, and others.

Following a management meeting on July 5, 2025, JAMB resolved to allow these 13 candidates to correct the identified anomalies and reprint valid admission letters, bringing them into the same category as the previously condoned 6,903.

Additionally, 1,532 candidates, who claimed ignorance of the syndicate’s involvement and whose institutions later processed their condonement, will be issued formal warnings but also pardoned.

However, 3,300 candidates remain under investigation for obtaining admissions that were neither genuine nor properly processed.

Dr Benjamin reaffirmed JAMB’s resolve to uphold the integrity of the admission process, warning that anyone found guilty of exam or certificate fraud would face strict sanctions under the Examination Malpractices Act — including minors and their complicit parents or guardians.

“The Board remains fully committed to ensuring that only qualified candidates are admitted into Nigeria’s tertiary institutions,” he stated.