Shocking! Two Candidates, Parent Arrested For Falsifying UTME Scores With AI
By Olumuyiwa Olumuyiwa
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has stated that some criminal activities were perpetrated by some of the candidates who sat for the Unified 2026 Tertiary Matriculation Examination revealing that two candidates and a parent are now in police custody.
According to the examination board the suspects were trying to alter their 2026 UTME results using Artificial Intelligence and other electronic tools.
JAMB spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, made the disclosure in a statement issued on Saturday, noting that the board has released scores for 632,788 candidates who sat the examination on Thursday, April 16.
According to Benjamin the suspects were apprehended for manipulating official SMS result notifications to fabricate or alter scores with the intent to deceive others, including parents and guardians.
“Currently, two candidates and one parent are in custody for engaging in result falsification using AI and other electronic means,” the statement read.
Benjamin warned that such conduct constituted a serious criminal offence and that the board would pursue all culpable persons to the full extent of the law.
He also cautioned candidates against tampering with result messages from JAMB’s official SMS platforms, 55019 and 66019.
Candidates who sat the examination on Thursday may check their scores by sending UTMERESULT via SMS to 55019 or 66019, using the phone number linked to their registration. Printing of official result slips is not yet available and will be enabled at a later date.
The 2026 UTME began on April 16 and is expected to run until April 22 across examination centres nationwide. Results will continue to be released in batches as the exercise progresses.
