UTME: JAMB releases 279 withheld results

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released 279 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results earlier withheld over suspected examination malpractice, following a review of cases flagged during the conduct of the examination.

The Board, however, said investigations are still ongoing into other cases linked to suspicious activities across some examination centres, warning that results remain at risk of cancellation where malpractice is eventually established.

According to JAMB, the latest decision followed a detailed assessment of candidates whose results were initially withheld as part of its routine monitoring and post-exam integrity checks.

In some cases, the Board said it found no prima facie evidence of wrongdoing and subsequently cleared the affected candidates for release of their results, while others confirmed to have breached examination rules had their results cancelled outright.

“The release follows ongoing investigations into cases of suspected examination malpractice. 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,” the statement said.

The statement was signed by the Board’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr Fabian Benjamin.

JAMB also maintained that centres placed under close scrutiny by its live monitoring teams, as well as those linked to adverse reports, would remain under investigation until the conclusion of ongoing checks.

It warned that any candidate found culpable after further review would have their results withdrawn.

Candidates whose results are still pending were advised to check their status by sending “UTMERESULT” to 55019 or 66019 using the same phone number used during registration.

The development comes as the examination body intensifies efforts to protect the credibility of the UTME and clamp down on examination malpractice nationwide, a challenge that has remained a recurring concern in Nigeria’s tertiary admission process.