Over 40 persons have been arrested and are facing prosecution for impersonating candidates during the ongoing 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disclosed.
This comes as many parents and guardians express concern that the 6.30 a.m. resumption time for the exam was too early for candidates, adding that many may have to drive several miles to their examination sites.
The 2025 UTME, which began on Thursday, April 24, will run until Monday, May 5.
According to JAMB, over 2,030,627 students are taking this year’s exam at authorised computer-based test centres across the nation.
A mother of a candidate who claimed to live in Awoyaya, Lekki, Lagos, but whose 14-year-old son was assigned to a centre in Ikorodu, stated that the young guy may miss the exam due to time constraints.
“The examination slip states that candidates are expected at the centre by 6.30am. So, that means my son must be on the road by 4 am. I don’t drive. We don’t have a car. He would have to take a bus. Even if I decide to go with him, how are we supposed to get a bus at that time, and how are we supposed to get to Ikorodu before 6.30am?
“This is wickedness. JAMB should look into this and move the exam forward. 6.30am for an examination is too early.”
Olaoluwa Yinka, a guardian, lamenting on X, wrote, “My younger sister has just travelled today for her UTME tomorrow morning. From Abeokuta, she was sent to Ijebu Igbo by 6.30am. This is very absurd.
“When I wrote JAMB, I did so around 9 am and the heavens did not fall. This CBT is the problem. Students get to the centre, and sometimes the systems don’t work as well.”
Social media activist, Rinu Oduala, in a statement on X, wrote, “Again, why are you scheduling exams for 6.30am, @JAMBHQ? And expect teenagers to find their ways 50km plus away from home? How can educated people make nonsensical policies for citizens and kids in this country? Does it make any sense?”
A mother, Nnem Chacha-Gold, told this reporter on Saturday that her only daughter had to leave the house at 4.30 a.m. to travel to her exam venue by 6.30 a.m.
“I had to follow my daughter to her centre in Ikorodu from Ejigbo. When I got there, they said we (parents) were not welcome at the centre. I even learnt that candidates slept outside their centres to meet up. I can’t imagine my own child sleeping on the street overnight just to meet up. Goodness!”
Meanwhile, Esther Oladele, a young female candidate aged 16, was claimed to have lost her way to her centre.
Richard, claiming to be her brother, stated that she travelled from Ajah to Epe on Thursday, April 24, but mistakenly boarded the wrong bus.
The post read, “It’s been almost 24 hours since we haven’t heard from my sister. She was going to Epe from Ajah around 1 pm yesterday (Thursday) for her UTME. The last message she sent to us reads thus: ‘I’m scared. I think I entered the wrong car, and my eyes are itchy. E be like say I want to sleep.”
This spurred numerous X users to initiate a search online, notifying the authorities to look for the young lady.
After nearly 48 hours, Richard returned to X to confirm that Esther had been discovered in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.
Esther’s picture leaked online, showing her in garish apparel and with messy hair.
The flier read, “We are overjoyed to share that Esther is home safe and sound! Words cannot express our gratitude to everyone who played a part in bringing her back. Your reposts, prayers, and unwavering support gave us strength and hope throughout this difficult time. We are eternally grateful for the kindness and compassion of our community.”
Despite the board’s efforts to sanitise the examination process, Benjamin expressed concern about impersonation.
He noted that while other countries have successfully conducted remote exams, Nigeria’s current context makes such an innovation impractical.
“If Nigerians want comfort, let us behave very well. If we are transparent, we can do these CBT exams at home and submit them online. We will just send questions to them, and they will answer and send them back to us. Then, we will grade and send them back the results,” Benjamin said.
“But, you know what will happen if we try to do that. Several countries are doing their central examinations from home. But, can we do that in Nigeria,” he added.
