JAMB Arrests 40 Impersonators as Parents Protest Early Exam Resumption Time!

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has revealed that at least 40 people have been detained and are being prosecuted for posing as applicants in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

This comes as several parents and guardians are complaining that the exam’s 6:30 am start time was too early for applicants, pointing out that many could have to travel several kilometers to get to their testing locations.

Starting Thursday, April 24, the 2025 UTME will conclude on Monday, May 5.

More than 2,030,627 applicants are enrolled in this year’s exam at authorized computer-based testing locations across the country, according to JAMB.

According to a candidate’s mother, whose 14-year-old son was assigned to a center in Ikorodu, but who claimed to reside in Awoyaya in the Lekki neighborhood of Lagos, the young man might miss the test due to time constraints.

According to the exam card, candidates must arrive at the center by 630 a.m. That implies that my son needs to leave by 4 a.m. I’m not a driver. We don’t own a vehicle. He’d have to ride the bus. How are we going to catch a bus at that hour and arrive in Ikorodu by 6.30 am, even if I choose to accompany him?

“This is evil. JAMB ought to investigate this and proceed with the test. An examination at 6.30 am is too early.

Olaoluwa Yinka, a guardian, commented, “My younger sister just traveled today for her UTME tomorrow morning,” criticizing X. By 6.30 am, she was transported from Abeokuta to Ijebu Igbo. This is completely ridiculous.

“I wrote JAMB at around nine in the morning, and the sky did not fall. The issue is this CBT. When students arrive at the center, occasionally, the processes aren’t as effective.

Lucas Oluwadare (@lucasoluwadare1), another X user, commented, “My younger sister is also set to take the tests tomorrow at 6.36.30 a.m. Since my place is closer, she must stay overnight, so we will get together as early as possible tomorrow morning. This nation has excellent anyhowness.

Rinu Oduala, a social media activist, posted on Twitter, “Again, @JAMBHQ, why are you setting exams for 6.30 am? And you expect teenagers to navigate more than fifty kilometers from home? How can well-educated individuals create absurd policies for this nation’s citizens and children? Does it make sense?

In an interview with this reporter on Saturday, Nnem Chacha-Gold, a mother, stated that her only daughter had to leave the house at 4.30 am to arrive at the exam location by 6.30 am.

“I had to travel from Ejigbo to follow my daughter to her center in Ikorodu. When I arrived, I was informed that the center did not welcome parents. I even found out that to meet up, candidates would sleep outside their centers. My child sleeping on the street for the night to meet up is unthinkable. Goodness!

Esther Oladele, a young female candidate who was reportedly 16 years old, was reported to have missed her route to her center.

According to Richard (@Rickson_), a man on X who claimed to be her brother, she took the incorrect bus on Thursday, April 24, while traveling from Ajah to Epe.

Richard forwarded a message she wrote to their other sister, adding that it had been almost twenty-four hours since anyone had heard from her.

“It’s been nearly 24 hours since we haven’t heard from my sister,” the message said. She was traveling from Ajah to Epe for her UTME yesterday, Thursday, at approximately 1:00 pm. She said, “I’m scared,” in her most recent message to us. My eyes are irritated, and I believe I got into the wrong automobile. E would say, “I want to go to sleep.”

Many X users started searching online as a result, alerting the authorities to the young woman’s whereabouts.

Richard returned to X about 48 hours later to verify that Esther had been located in distant Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

Esther was wearing flashy clothes and had some messy hair in the photo that went viral online.

“We are delighted to announce that Esther has returned home safe and sound,” the flyer said. Our appreciation for everyone who helped bring her back is beyond words. During this trying time, your prayers, reposts, and steadfast support gave us hope and strength. We will always be appreciative of our community’s generosity and compassion.

Speaking about imitation, Benjamin bemoaned the continued malpractice cases despite the board’s attempts to clean up the test procedure.

He pointed out that while other nations have effectively carried out remote, centralized exams, Nigeria’s situation made this innovation unfeasible at this time.

“We should act in a very kind manner if Nigerians desire comfort. We may do these CBT tests at home and turn them in online if we are open and honest. They will just respond to our inquiries and forward them to us. After that, we will grade the results and return them to them,” Benjamin stated. However, you are aware of the consequences if we attempt to do so. Several countries are doing their central examinations from home. But can we do it in Nigeria?”

Speaking about mimicry, Benjamin lamented that despite the board’s efforts to improve the exam process, malpractice cases were still occurring.

While other countries have successfully implemented centralized, remote exams, he noted that Nigeria’s circumstances made this innovation impractical at this time.

“If Nigerians want comfort, we should behave very kindly. If we are honest and forthright, we may do these CBT assessments at home and submit them online. All they will do is answer our questions and send them back to us. The results will then be graded and sent back to them,” Benjamin said. You know what will happen if we try to do so, though.

Central exams are being administered from home in several nations. Can we do it in Nigeria, though?

“At 6.30 am, there is no examination. Everyone is expected to arrive at the exam room by 8 a.m. without any pre-examination checks, even though all exams begin at that time. This is what we do to help these candidates.

He pointed out that many candidates would appear late if the exam time was announced as 8 a.m. without setting reasonable pre-arrival expectations.

They will arrive at 8:30 or 10 a.m. and begin giving us cock-and-bull stories as soon as we inform them that the exam is scheduled for 8 a.m. Even if it is scheduled for noon, I am aware that a fair portion of them will arrive late,” he continued.

In response to worries that candidates would have to leave their homes very early to make the check-in time, Benjamin insisted that it is safe for candidates to leave early because daylight in Nigeria usually occurs at approximately 6 am Anywhere in Nigeria, 6:30 am is considered daylight in any case. It was as bright as day when I came out this morning at six o’clock. However, I must emphasize that the exam is not at six in the morning. Our first exam session begins at 8 a.m.

However, candidates should arrive at the center at 6:30 a.m. Even now, some of them arrive by 7 or 7.30 a.m.

However, you won’t be allowed to take the test if you arrive at that location thirty minutes late, since they must have completed some preliminary work that you can’t complete.