JAMB Releases 279 Withheld UTME Results
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has released 279 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results that had been withheld following suspicions of examination malpractice, offering relief to a fraction of candidates caught in the board’s post-examination verification dragnet.
The board’s spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, confirmed the development on Thursday via a post on X, stating that the latest release was in addition to batches previously published and was the outcome of a careful, case-by-case review of flagged entries.
“While some results have been outrightly cancelled where evidence of malpractice was established, others have been released where the Board found no prima facie case against the affected candidates,” Benjamin said.
“Results from centres where the Board’s live monitoring team observed suspicious activities, or where adverse reports were received, remain withheld pending further investigation. Where sufficient evidence of culpability is established, such results will be cancelled,” he added.
The release comes amid one of the most scrutinised UTME cycles in recent memory. A total of 2,243,761 candidates registered to sit the 2026 UTME, out of which 1,897,692 results were initially released following the examination, which held between April 16 and 25 across accredited computer-based test centres nationwide.
The Nigeria Police Force and JAMB jointly uncovered a coordinated examination malpractice operation in Delta State during the examination, with security operatives disclosing that unknown individuals remotely gained unauthorised access to candidates’ computers while the examination was in progress. Three suspects were arrested, and JAMB subsequently withdrew results from the affected centres, announcing plans to reschedule impacted candidates for mop-up examinations once the review process was completed.
The 2026 examination cycle also carries the weight of institutional memory from 2025, when JAMB faced a public crisis of confidence. Technical glitches in 157 exam centres caused thousands of candidates to receive low scores, with over 1.5 million out of 1.9 million candidates scoring below 200. Nearly 380,000 candidates were scheduled for a retake, and a special committee uncovered technology-driven malpractice involving biometric manipulation and AI image morphing, leading to the cancellation of over 6,300 results.
JAMB’s post-examination review process typically involves checking CCTV footage from CBT centres, cross-referencing biometric data captured during the examination, and reviewing system logs from each session. Permanent cancellation only occurs when JAMB finds hard, verifiable evidence of malpractice, with CCTV footage, system logs, and biometric data all required to point clearly in the same direction.
Candidates yet to access their results were advised to check their status by sending UTMERESULT to 55019 or 66019 via the same phone number used during registration.
The 2026 examination cycle recorded 2,295,877 total registrations, comprising 2,243,245 UTME and 52,632 Direct Entry candidates, representing a 10.5 percent increase from the 2.03 million registered in 2025.