The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has confirmed the arrest of two candidates and a parent for allegedly falsifying their 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results using artificial intelligence and other digital tools.
The announcement was made on Friday alongside the release of results for 632,788 candidates who sat for the examination on Thursday, April 16.
According to JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, the suspects were apprehended for manipulating official SMS notifications to alter or fabricate examination scores. The fraudulent activity was reportedly aimed at misleading parents, guardians, and the general public.
Benjamin described the act as a serious criminal offence, stressing that the board is committed to prosecuting all individuals involved in such malpractice.
He also warned candidates against tampering with result messages issued through JAMB’s designated SMS channels, 55019 and 66019.
JAMB advised candidates who participated in the examination on Thursday to check their results by sending “UTMERESULT” via SMS to either of the official numbers using the phone number linked to their registration.
