The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the arrest of two candidates and a parent following the alleged falsification of 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and sophisticated electronic tools.
The disclosure was made alongside the official release of results for 632,788 candidates who participated in the examination on Thursday, 16th April.
According to the Board’s spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, the suspects were intercepted after manipulating official SMS result notifications. The syndicate reportedly employed AI-driven techniques to fabricate or alter scores, with the primary objective of deceiving guardians and the general public.
“Currently, two candidates and one parent are in custody for engaging in result falsification using AI and other electronic means,” the statement confirmed.
Dr Benjamin reiterated that such actions constitute a grave criminal offence. He issued a stern warning that the Board remains resolute in its commitment to academic integrity and will prosecute all culpable individuals to the full extent of the law.
The Board further cautioned candidates against the unauthorized tampering with messages originating from JAMB’s designated SMS platforms. Candidates are reminded that the only legitimate method for checking scores at this stage is via the official shortcodes.
Verification Method: Send the keyword UTMERESULT via SMS to 55019 or 66019. Security Note: The request must be sent from the telephone number used during the initial registration process.
JAMB clarified that the printing of official result slips has not yet commenced and will be enabled on the Board’s portal at a subsequent date.
The 2026 UTME, which commenced on 16th April, is scheduled to conclude on 22nd April 2026 at various Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across the federation. Results for subsequent sessions will continue to be released in batches as the examination exercise progresses.
The Board’s swift action against the use of AI for forgery underscores the increasing technological challenges facing national examinations and serves as a deterrent to those attempting to compromise the merit-based admissions process.
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