JAMB: Court Sends Young Man to Prison over Impersonation during 2025 UTME
- A federal High Court in Katsina had sentenced Ibrahim Abdulaziz to three years imprisonment for impersonation during the UTME
- Prosecutors proved that Abdulaziz unlawfully represented himself as another candidate at a JAMB examination centre in Funtua
- The court acquitted the original UTME candidate after finding no evidence linking him to the offence
A federal High Court in Katsina has sentenced a young man, Ibrahim Abdulaziz, to three years in prison for impersonation during the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
The court held that the offence struck at the credibility of public examinations and required firm punishment.
Source: Facebook
The conviction followed a trial in which prosecutors established that Abdulaziz posed as another candidate during the examination held in April 2025, PM News reported.
The court found that the act amounted to examination malpractice under Nigerian law.
Prosecution outlines offence details
Mr A.D. Saleh, Officer in Charge of Legal at the Katsina State Police Command, told the court that the offence occurred on April 30, 2025, at Zee Alpha Academy in Funtua. He said Abdulaziz unlawfully and fraudulently represented himself as Bolanwu Emmanuel, who was listed as the legitimate UTME candidate.
The prosecution said the offence contravened provisions of the Examinations Malpractice Act. To prove its case, the police called three witnesses and tendered the examination slip used during the test.
Defence counsel M.T. Steve objected to the admissibility of the examination slip. The objection was overruled by the trial judge, who admitted the document as evidence.
The court noted that the prosecution followed due process in presenting its materials.
Abdulaziz denied any connection with the first defendant and claimed he was also a candidate who sat for the examination. The court found that he failed to provide proof to support the claim.
Judge delivers final ruling
While delivering judgment, Justice Hussaini Dadan-Garba convicted Abdulaziz and sentenced him to three years imprisonment without an option of fine. The judge said the punishment was intended to deter others from engaging in similar acts.
The court, however, discharged and acquitted Bolanwu Emmanuel, the original UTME candidate, after finding no evidence linking him to the impersonation.
JAMB announces start of 2026 UTME
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has fixed January 26 as the start date for the sale of application forms for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Direct Entry admissions into Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The announcement was contained in a photostatement signed by the Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, and published on the Board’s official X handle on Tuesday, January 13.
According to the statement, the exercise covers admissions for the 2026/2027 academic session.
UTME 2026: JAMB releases registration guidelines
Legit.ng also reported that JAMB released detailed guidelines for the registration of candidates for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Prospective candidates are required to have a National Identification Number (NIN), an email address, among others.
Legit.ng reports that the JAMB 2026 UTME form will be on sale from Friday, January 31, 2026, until Saturday, March 8, 2026
Source: Legit.ng
