UTME fraud: 80% linked to a surprising source, says JAMB 

The Chairman of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Special Committee on Examination Infractions, Jake Epelle, has accused parents of being the biggest culprits in the wave of malpractices bedeviling the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Epelle, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today after submitting the committee’s report to JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, in Abuja on Monday, revealed that parents account for “80 per cent of fraudulent practices” recorded in the exam.

“Eighty per cent of these infractions are caused by parents who want to give marks to their children that they don’t deserve,” he said.

The committee’s findings paint a troubling picture of the extent of examination malpractice. It uncovered:

4,251 cases of “finger blending”

190 cases of AI-assisted impersonation through image morphing

1,878 false disability claims

Forged credentials

Multiple NIN registrations

Collusion between candidates, tutorial centres, and syndicates.

Epelle warned that technology is increasingly being weaponised to compromise the exam’s integrity. “This is the age of AI, and what is going on is that JAMB rolls out a state-of-the-art technology; there are people behind the scene and these are smart young Nigerians. The system is robust, but there is a consistent conspiracy to undermine the system,” he explained.

He further stressed the need for “homegrown adaptive technology” tailored to Nigeria’s peculiar challenges.

Despite the rising fraud, Epelle assured candidates and the public that JAMB, under Prof. Oloyede’s leadership, will not condone any act of malpractice.