The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has raised concerns over possible foul play in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result of Chinedu Okeke, who emerged as the top scorer with 375.
Speaking at the 2025 policy meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, JAMB Registrar Ishaq Oloyede revealed that although Mr Okeke, from Anambra State, applied to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Lagos, records show he was admitted into the School of Medicine at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) a year ago.
Mr Oloyede explained that the board contacted UNN for clarification, and the institution confirmed that Mr Okeke is indeed their student and is doing well.
JAMB spokesperson Fabian Benjamin also commented on the matter, stating that the board has reasons to believe the candidate may have engaged in malpractice.
“The law does not allow a student to matriculate twice, and as an undergraduate, he has an advantage over the other candidates in the examinations.
“In his records, he claimed he is from the South-East, while the other record is reading that he is from Lagos State.
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“We are suspecting that he is a mercenary in the examination,” Mr Benjamin said during a phone interview with journalists.
In the same announcement, the board listed other top scorers in the 2025 UTME. John Ayuba from Gombe State secured the second-highest score with 374, followed by Olayinka Jimoh from Kwara State, who scored 373.
Others who scored 373 include Ayibo Roberts from Rivers, Chibueze Omonugbo from Enugu, Tunmise Olawepo from Kwara, and Leslie Afinotan from Delta.
Also on the list of top scorers are Chukwuemeka Azoyenime from Delta, Emmanuel Oyebode from Ogun, and Cecil Omigie from Edo, each scoring 372.
