By Our Correspondent
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has raised concerns over the authenticity of the results of Chinedu Okeke, an Anambra State-born candidate who emerged as the highest scorer in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) with a total of 375.
The development has stirred memories of the controversial 2023 case involving Ejikeme Mmesoma, also from Anambra, who claimed to be the highest scorer in that year’s JAMB examinations.
Announcing the 2025 UTME policy updates at the Board’s annual meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed that preliminary investigations have unearthed discrepancies in Okeke’s academic records, prompting the Board to initiate a probe.
“While Chinedu Okeke scored 375 and applied to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Lagos, our internal checks showed he is already a medical student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), having gained admission last year,” Oloyede stated.
The Registrar revealed that JAMB had officially contacted UNN for confirmation, and the institution affirmed that Okeke is currently enrolled and performing satisfactorily in its College of Medicine.
Further deepening the controversy, JAMB’s Public Communications Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, said the Board suspects that Okeke may have acted as an “examination mercenary.”
“We are dealing with a potential case of impersonation or multiple identities. His JAMB record claims he’s from the South-East, yet in another instance, he is listed as being from Lagos State,” Benjamin explained.
He added, “The law forbids double matriculation. If a candidate is already an undergraduate, he cannot lawfully sit for UTME again. This gives him an unfair academic advantage and casts serious doubt on the integrity of the examination.”
The Board said investigations are ongoing, and further action will be determined upon conclusion of the review.
Meanwhile, the Board unveiled other top scorers in the 2025 UTME. John Ayuba from Gombe State came second with a score of 374, while Olayinka Jimoh from Kwara State placed third with 373.
Others who scored 373 include Ayibo Roberts (Rivers), Chibueze Omonugbo (Enugu), Tunmise Olawepo (Kwara), and Leslie Afinotan (Delta). Three candidates — Chukwuemeka Azoyenime (Delta), Emmanuel Oyebode (Ogun), and Cecil Omigie (Edo) — scored 372.
As JAMB intensifies efforts to uphold the sanctity of its examination system, stakeholders are watching closely, with many calling for stricter biometric and identity validation processes to prevent a repeat of the Mmesoma episode.
