The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has raised suspicion over the credibility of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) top scorer, Chinedu Okeke, who scored 375 in the exam.
Speaking at the 2025 policy meeting of the Board in Abuja on Tuesday, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, revealed that the Board had made concerning discoveries about Okeke, who applied to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Lagos.
According to Oloyede, data from JAMB records showed that Okeke had already been admitted to study Medicine at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in a previous admission cycle.
The Board said it wrote to UNN to verify the information, and the institution confirmed that Okeke is currently enrolled and doing well as a medical student.
Dr. Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s Public Communications Advisor, explained the Board’s concerns.
“The law does not allow a student to matriculate twice, and as an undergraduate, he has advantage over the other candidates in the examinations,” he said.
Dr. Benjamin also pointed out inconsistencies in Okeke’s personal data.
“In his records, he claimed he is from the South-East while the other record is reading that he is from Lagos State. We are suspecting that he is a mercenary in the examination,” he added.
JAMB said the matter is being investigated further to determine if there was any intentional deception or misuse of identity in the examination process.
Meanwhile, the Board also released the list of top-performing candidates in the 2025 UTME:
- John Ayuba from Gombe State came second with a score of 374
- Olayinka Jimoh from Kwara State followed closely with 373
- Others who scored 373 include Ayibo Roberts from Rivers, Chibueze Omonugbo from Enugu, Tunmise Olawepo from Kwara, and Leslie Afinotan from Delta
Also among the highest scorers were:
- Chukwuemeka Azoyenime from Delta
- Emmanuel Oyebode from Ogun
- Cecil Omigie from Edo
All three scored 372 in the examinations.
JAMB assured that it remains committed to ensuring transparency, fairness, and integrity in its examination and admission processes.
