Thousands of 2025 JAMB Candidates Gear Up for Legal Battle Amid Technical Glitch Allegations

 

Mounting frustration and widespread discontent are fueling a legal uprising against the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), as thousands of candidates prepare to take the examination body to court. The controversy follows the release of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results, which many have described as grossly unreflective of students' capabilities.

More than 1.9 million candidates took the 2025 UTME. However, the statistical outcome has raised eyebrows across Nigeria. Only about 12,414 candidates scored 300 and above—a figure representing less than one percent. Furthermore, a staggering 79 percent of all candidates, amounting to over 1.5 million, scored below 200.

Social media platforms have since exploded with outrage, with candidates and their families questioning the integrity of the examination process. Reports of missing questions, technical disruptions, and system malfunctions are at the heart of the uproar. These allegations have now evolved into a full-blown legal movement, with over 8,000 students expressing interest in joining the lawsuit.

Alex Onyia, a prominent education advocate and CEO of Educare, is leading the charge. On Sunday, he announced that legal proceedings would commence at the Federal High Court on Monday, with thousands of affected candidates seeking redress against what they believe to be a deeply flawed testing system.

“Currently, we have 8,391 students who have sent in their complaints regarding the glitches in the JAMB 2025 exam,” Onyia posted on his X handle, @winexv. He emphasized that the accumulated evidence suggests that JAMB’s system failures had serious implications not just academically but psychologically as well. “There is ample evidence to prove that JAMB’s system was inefficient, thereby causing serious harm to these students’ mental health,” he added.

The legal petitioners are demanding transparency, specifically calling on JAMB to release individual mark sheets to candidates. These documents, they argue, would allow students to see what questions they answered correctly or incorrectly, identify scoring inconsistencies, and formally dispute results where necessary.

JAMB, however, has pushed back. Fabian Benjamin, spokesperson for the board, insisted that the results released are a true reflection of the students’ performances. He attributed the mass failure to the natural outcome of a robust system now free from widespread cheating. Backing this stance, Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa remarked that the unusually low scores were indicative of JAMB’s success in curbing malpractice, suggesting that previous scores may have been artificially inflated by dishonest means.

The explanation has not satisfied candidates or their families. A student who sat the UTME in Maitama, Abuja, recounted her ordeal, explaining that several questions in her Use of English section were missing. “I raised the alarm during the test. I wasn’t the only one. Yet, when the result came out, I scored 170. JAMB has not addressed the missing questions,” she said.

Another candidate, who wrote her examination on April 26, expressed disbelief upon seeing her result. “Last year I scored 287. This year, I got 173. Others who wrote on the same day complained of incomplete English questions. This result is not mine,” she stated with frustration.

Parents have not remained silent. Many are calling for an immediate and independent review of the process. One parent passionately stated, “We demand a remark from JAMB. These are exceptional students scoring below 200. Many complained of incomplete questions and other technical issues. JAMB has said nothing. This cannot be swept under the rug.”

With legal proceedings now imminent and public trust in the examination system hanging in the balance, all eyes are on the Federal High Court. For thousands of Nigerian students, this is more than just a legal issue—it’s about reclaiming their academic futures from what they see as a malfunctioning and unaccountable system.