THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Friday announced the arrest of two candidates and a parent for allegedly using Artificial Intelligence and other electronic tools in falsifying the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results.
JAMB spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria, said 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.
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.
The disclosure came as the board released scores for 632,788 candidates who sat the examination on Thursday, April 16.
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.
To check their results, he advised candidates to send UTMERESULT via SMS to 55019 or 66019, using the same phone number (SIM) used during registration.
He, however, said that at this stage, candidates may view their results only; printing is not yet available.
The 2026 UTME, which began on April 16, is expected to continue until April 22 across examination centres nationwide.
The result slip carries the candidate’s passport photograph, full scores, and details required for admission processing.
It will be made available for printing on JAMB’s e-Facility portal at efacility.jamb.gov.ng and attracts a fee of N1,500.
Once activated, candidates should follow the steps below.
– Visit efacility.jamb.gov.ng.
– Log in with your registered email address and password.
– On your dashboard, click Print Result Slip.
– Click Continue with Payment and pay the N1,500 fee.
– Select 2026 as the examination year and enter your JAMB registration number.
– Download and print the result slip.
Check Your Score Via SMS
– Make sure you have at least N50 airtime on the phone number linked to your JAMB registration.
– Send UTMERESULT to 55019.
– Your score will be delivered to you via SMS.
Other Tips
– If you have forgotten your password or email address, use the Forgot Password option on the portal or visit a JAMB office with your registration details.
– Keep multiple printed copies of your result slip, as institutions typically request it during screening and admission.
– Use only JAMB’s official websites — efacility.jamb.gov.ng or portal.jamb.gov.ng to avoid scams.
Candidates were strongly cautioned against manipulating the SMS received from the official platform (55019/66019) to fabricate or alter scores with the intent to mislead others, including parents.
“Such actions constitute a serious criminal offence. The Board treats such misconduct with the utmost gravity.”
“Currently, two candidates and one parent are in custody for engaging in result falsification using AI and other electronic means. Any candidate found culpable will face the full consequences of the law”, JAMB warned.
The examination is ongoing, and results will continue to be released as they become available, the Board added.