The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has accused Chinedu Okeke, the top scorer in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), of manipulating personal records and attempting to gain multiple university admissions through identity alteration.
Okeke, who scored 375 out of 400 and applied to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Lagos, is currently a 400-level medical student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), having gained admission in 2021.
JAMB alleges that:
- Okeke used Lagos State credentials in 2021 to gain admission into UNN
- In 2025, he altered his records to claim Anambra State origin, potentially to benefit from state admission quotas
- He registered for the 2025 UTME under a different academic pursuit, despite being enrolled in Medicine and Surgery
The board insists that all candidate data is sourced from the National Identification Number (NIN) system and denies retrieving incorrect information from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
JAMB has stated that it will continue to treat Okeke as a bona fide student of UNN until the university provides contradictory evidence. However, it is prepared to notify the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to consider delisting him from medical practice if the allegations are confirmed.
The controversy has sparked widespread debate, with critics accusing JAMB of victimization, while others call for greater scrutiny of admission processes to prevent abuse of quota systems.
