The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has “suspected” foul play in the results of Chinedu Okeke, the best candidate in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Ishaq Oloyede, JAMB registrar, announced at the 2025 policy meeting of the board on Tuesday in Abuja that Mr Okeke, an indigene of Anambra, emerged as the best candidate with a score of 375 in the examinations.

Mr Oloyede, however, said the board made some discoveries regarding Mr Okeke, who applied for mechanical engineering at the University of Lagos.

The registrar explained that data from JAMB revealed that Mr Okeke was admitted a year ago in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), in the School of Medicine.

He said JAMB wrote to UNN for clarification about the candidate, and the school revealed that Mr Okeke is a student of the institution and he is doing fine.

Speaking with journalists on the development, JAMB spokesperson Fabian Benjamin said the board suspected foul play.

“The law does not allow a student to matriculate twice, and as an undergraduate, he has an advantage over the other candidates in the examinations.

“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,” Mr Benjamin told journalists in a telephone interview.

The board also announced that John Ayuba from Gombe State came second in the examinations, scoring 374, while Olayinka Jimoh from Kwara State scored 373.

Other top scorers are Ayibo Roberts from Rivers, Chibueze Omonugbo from Enugu State, Tunmise Olawepo from Kwara and Leslie Afinotan from Delta, all scoring 373.

Also, in the list of top scorers are Chukwuemeka Azoyenime from Delta, Emmanuel Oyebode from Ogun and Cecil Omigie from Edo, all scoring 372 in the examinations.

(NAN)