The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that 2,243,816 candidates have registered for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The figures were disclosed in the Board’s latest bulletin signed by its Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, as registration nears its March 26 deadline. The examination is scheduled to hold nationwide from April 16 to April 25, 2026.
At a press briefing, Is-haq Oloyede, JAMB Registrar, revealed that the Board uncovered syndicates using AI-generated images and videos of senior officials to defraud candidates. He said, with the approval of the Minister of Education, at least 100 registrations linked to score inflation schemes would be deleted.
Oloyede warned that candidates who paid or collaborated with fraudsters would face sanctions, stressing that the Board would not entertain appeals for clemency.
Lagos leads with 321,814 candidates, followed by Kaduna (303,498) and the FCT (302,963). Ogun (137,156), Oyo (122,662), Rivers (105,584), Kano (83,167), Delta (77,670), Ondo (66,270), and Nasarawa (65,739) complete the top ten.
Zamfara recorded the lowest figure at 14,841 candidates. Foreign registrations were also recorded, with Côte d’Ivoire leading at 32 candidates.
JAMB said it has expanded accredited CBT centres to 1,000 nationwide and introduced Microsoft Camera systems to strengthen identity verification and curb impersonation. The Board also projects N23.8 billion in internally generated revenue for 2026.
