On April 17, 2026, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) released results for the first day of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) before midnight, as promised by spokesperson Fabian Benjamin. The announcement came amid growing scrutiny over logistical failures that plagued the examination process, particularly in Lagos State where candidates faced extreme distances to assigned centres and technical breakdowns at venues. Over 2.24 million candidates registered nationwide for this year’s UTME, a 10.5 per cent increase from 2025, with Lagos alone accounting for 381,814 registrants — the highest of any state.
The release of results followed a day marked by widespread frustration among candidates and parents, many of whom reported being sent to centres far from their homes despite JAMB’s expansion of Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres to approximately 1,000 nationwide. In Lagos, one candidate described wandering for over two hours after her slip directed her to a location that locals said did not exist, leaving her exhausted and fearful of missing her exam. Parents echoed safety concerns, with one noting it was unreasonable to send a child from Ikorodu to a centre in Badagry for a 7:00 a.m. examination, calling the practice dangerous in a city known for traffic congestion and security risks.
Once at centres, technical issues compounded the distress. Biometric verification failures and server outages delayed the start of exams by hours, leaving students waiting under the sun while officials cited network problems or system configurations. The confusion fostered a exploitative micro-economy, with motorcycle transporters tripling fares for desperate candidates. One student recounted paying three times the usual rate to reach her centre, stating she had no choice due to time constraints. These incidents fueled public criticism that JAMB’s push for a digitised, world-class examination system outpaced the readiness of infrastructure on the ground.
In response to mounting concerns over safety and disorder, the Lagos State Police Command deployed additional personnel and intelligence assets to all approved UTME centres in the state under orders from Commissioner Tijani Fatai. The deployment, aligned with Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu’s directive, aimed to protect candidates, officials, and stakeholders while preventing examination malpractice and security breaches. Officers were instructed to coordinate with other agencies to secure venues, access routes, and surrounding areas, and to urge public cooperation with security personnel.
Despite the challenges, JAMB maintained that results would be accessible through its official channels once the release process concluded, with Benjamin emphasizing that an formal public announcement would follow completion. The board noted that candidates from the first day of the examination — held on April 16, 2026 — could check their scores as soon as verification was finalised. Registration data showed that outside Nigeria, participation remained limited, with Côte d’Ivoire leading foreign registrants at 32 candidates, followed by Equatorial Guinea (16), Burkina Faso (14), and the United Kingdom (12), while countries like Gambia, Ghana, and South Africa each had fewer than ten participants.
The contrast between JAMB’s assurances of prompt result delivery and the lived experience of candidates navigating faulty logistics highlights a persistent gap between policy intent and operational execution. While the board successfully increased centre numbers and released results on schedule, the recurring issues of misallocation, technical failure, and exploitation suggest systemic weaknesses in planning and oversight that continue to undermine confidence in the UTME process.
Why were candidates posted to centres far from their homes despite JAMB expanding CBT centres nationwide?
JAMB’s allocation process did not adequately consider geographic proximity, leading to assignments that ignored local realities such as traffic, safety, and accessibility, even as the board increased the total number of centres to about 1,000 to improve logistics.
What measures were taken to address security and disorder at UTME centres in Lagos State?
The Lagos State Police Commission deployed additional personnel, operational units, and intelligence assets to all approved CBT centres in the state to protect candidates and officials, prevent malpractice, and secure venues and access routes under the directive of the Inspector-General of Police.
