A public interest law firm, the Chambers of Evans Ufeli, has threatened legal action against the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) following what it described as widespread failure and systemic breakdown during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). In a petition addressed to JAMB’s registrar, Ish’qua Oloyede, the firm highlighted numerous issues, including technical malfunctions, poor logistics, and alleged safety breaches that, it claimed, compromised the credibility and fairness of the examination process.
According to the petition, the firm, led by Evans Ufeli, emphasized that the conditions under which the UTME was conducted “rendered it unjust and detrimental to the mental well-being and academic future of many candidates.” One of the primary concerns raised was the early scheduling of the exams, with candidates being asked to arrive at their examination centres as early as 6:00 a.m. The firm argued that this decision caused “anxiety, fatigue, and confusion” among 15 to 16-year-olds, who were already under significant exam-related stress.
Beyond the scheduling, the petition also mentioned that some candidates went missing during the examination period, which the law firm described as a serious safety lapse. The firm asserted that these incidents “expose deep flaws in the planning and execution of the UTME” and raised serious concerns about JAMB’s ability to safeguard the lives of candidates. “Such incidents… raise serious concerns about the ability of JAMB to safeguard the lives of the candidates,” said Ufeli in the petition.
The firm also pointed to the delays in the commencement of exams at several centres, noting that these delays “led to heightened anxiety levels among candidates and, in some cases, disrupted exam schedules altogether.” The petition called for the immediate cancellation of the 2025 UTME results, urging JAMB to conduct a fresh round of exams “under conditions that meet acceptable standards.”
In closing, the firm warned that if JAMB fails to act on these concerns, it will be left with no choice but to pursue legal action. “Should JAMB fail to address these grave concerns, we will be compelled to initiate legal proceedings to protect the rights and futures of the affected candidates,” the petition concluded.
