16-Year-Old Daniella Scores 372, Emerges 2026 UTME Highest Scorer
By Olumuyiwa Olumuyiwa
A 16-year old teenage girl, Owoeye Daniella Jesudunsin, has become the talk of the town following her exceptional performance at the recently conducted Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination which was sat for by over 2 million candidates across the country.
Daniella proved her intellectual mettle by scoring 372 out of the total 400 marks in UTME, an outstanding result that put her ahead of the mammoth pack of over 1.9 million candidates whose results were released by the Joint Admissions And Matriculation Board (JAMB).
The budding scholar’s feat was announced in the list of top-performing candidates released by the JAMB during the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions to Tertiary Institutions held in Abuja on Monday.
The list was unveiled by JAMB Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede.
According to the information released by JAMB, Daniella, who is an indigene of Ekiti State, sat for the examination in Ogun State.
She is seeking admission to study Medicine and Surgery at the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
A breakdown of her result showed that the 16-year-old scored 98 in English Language, 98 in Chemistry, 94 in Physics and 82 in Biology.
Speaking on her academic journey, Daniella stated that she had finished secondary school in 2025 and had written her first UTME then, according to legit.ng.
“This isn’t my first UTME. I graduated from secondary school last year, so I sat for the UTME last year. I couldn’t gain admission due to the glitches I experienced in my exam centre, which affected my result. Although I didn’t request a resit.
“Since 2026 UTME isn’t my first attempt, I would say my preparation for 2026 UTME started when I was preparing for my 2025 UTME, and I also want to appreciate EFVP Wisdom Spring Model School for their input in my success story.
“I was aiming for nothing less than 350, so I fixed my goal at 370+. I chose UNILAG because it is one of the best universities that offers my desired course, and I chose Medicine and Surgery because of my unwavering interest and passion to provide medical support for the sick, relieve pain and help people live a healthy life,” she said.
According to JAMB’s record, Enwere Kingsley Ikenna from Imo State, who wrote the examination in Lagos State, emerged second with a score of 370. He applied to Nile University to study Computer Science.
Bamisile Ayomide Emmanuel, an Ondo State indigene who sat for the examination in Ogun State, came third with 369 marks and is seeking admission to study Software Engineering at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA).
Five candidates jointly scored 368 in the examination. They include Olabiyisi Olanrewaju Oluwatimileyin from Oyo State, who applied to Pan-Atlantic University for Mechatronics Engineering; Victor-Onyeka Daniel Ifeanyi from Imo State, who chose the University of Port Harcourt for Electrical/Electronics Engineering; and Osagiobare Daniel Osahenrumwen from Edo State, who applied to the University of Benin for Mechanical Engineering.
Others who scored 368 are Ademiluyi Adebowale Anthony from Osun State, who selected Obafemi Awolowo University for Computer Engineering, and Azuike Kenechukwu Anthony from Anambra State, who applied to Afe Babalola University for Software Engineering.
Three candidates scored 367 in the examination. They are Offorkile Michael Okechukwu from Abia State, who applied for Computer Science; Adebisi Eniola Sonari from Ogun State, who chose Covenant University for Computer Science; and Umukoro Gift Orhenevovwero from Delta State, who applied to the University of Lagos for Electrical/Electronics Engineering.
