JAMB Declares Viral 394 UTME Score Fake, Lists Proof the Slip Was Fabricated

Nigeria’s examination body has put its foot down. JAMB says a viral result slip claiming a Cross River State candidate scored 394 out of 400 in the 2026 UTME is completely fabricated — and it wants Nigerians to stop sharing it.

What the viral post claimed

The result started circulating on X (formerly Twitter) over the weekend, posted by user @Onsogbu. It purportedly showed that a female candidate, Okon Winniefred Sampson, scored a near-perfect 394 in this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. The breakdown listed 96 in Use of English, 99 in Biology, 98 in Chemistry, and 99 in Physics.

“Okon Winnifred Sampson, a young girl from Cross River State, delivered a remarkable performance in her UTME examinations, scoring an outstanding 394 out of 400. Her results were as follows: 96 in Use of English; 99 in Biology; 98 in Chemistry and 99 in Physics… a truly exceptional academic achievement. I love this,” the post read.

It spread fast. Many Nigerians celebrated what would have been one of the highest UTME scores in recent memory. But the numbers didn’t add up — and JAMB moved quickly to say why.

JAMB lists the red flags

In an official statement issued Sunday, JAMB’s spokesperson Dr Fabian Benjamin shut it down without ambiguity: “A purported result slip currently being circulated, claiming that a candidate scored 394 in the 2026 UTME, is entirely fake. It is surprising that such a fabrication is being shared by otherwise well-informed Nigerians.”

Benjamin flagged two immediate problems with the document. First, UTME result slips are not currently available for printing — results can only be viewed through official channels or retrieved via SMS. Any printed slip is automatically suspicious.

“Firstly, the Board has clearly stated that UTME results are view-only. The circulated document appears on a fabricated result template, which on its own is sufficient indication that it is not authentic,” he said.

Second, the registration number on the slip starts with “20269” — a format that doesn’t match how JAMB’s system generates candidate numbers. “Secondly, the Board’s registration numbers are system-generated and do not follow the pattern ‘20269’ as seen on the fake slip. There are several other inconsistencies that, even at a glance, expose the result as fraudulent,” Benjamin added.

Sharp-eyed Nigerians on social media had already noticed something else: the JAMB logo on the circulated slip showed the wrong full meaning of the acronym — a dead giveaway the document was made up.

Why this matters

Fake UTME results aren’t just misinformation — they feed an ecosystem of exam fraud that JAMB has been fighting hard to shut down. The board recently re-arrested a suspect, Emmanuel Akataka, who had resumed fraudulent operations after getting bail. He had been running online platforms promising candidates illegal score manipulation under the alias “Official Frederick.”

JAMB urged the public to rely only on its official channels for any exam-related information. “The public is strongly advised to disregard this fake result and rely only on official channels for accurate information. All results at the moment are view-only,” Benjamin stated.

With the 2026 UTME results still being processed, candidates and parents are advised to be wary of any circulated result slips — official or otherwise. For now, the board says: trust nothing that doesn’t come directly from JAMB.

Sources: Vanguard, Legit.ng, Kemi Filani News