Human Rights Lawyer Files N10 Billion Lawsuit Against JAMB And Education Minister Over 2025 UTME Failures.
A prominent human rights lawyer, Evans Ufeli, has launched a N10 billion (£4.8 billion) lawsuit against the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, citing significant irregularities and technical failures that allegedly compromised the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The legal action, filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos, represents aggrieved candidates, many of whom are minors, alongside their parents and other stakeholders.
The lawsuit follows widespread outrage over the 2025 UTME results, which saw over 1.5 million of the 1.9 million candidates scoring below 200 out of a possible 400 marks. Ufeli argues that the examination was plagued by technical glitches, poor logistics, and safety breaches, which undermined its credibility and fairness. He contends that these failures violated candidates’ fundamental rights, causing psychological trauma and loss of academic opportunities.
In a petition addressed to JAMB’s Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, Ufeli’s law firm highlighted several grievances, including early examination schedules that required candidates to arrive at centres as early as 6:00 AM, causing undue stress and fatigue. The firm also pointed to lengthy delays at numerous test centres, which disrupted schedules and heightened anxiety among candidates. “These incidents expose deep flaws in the planning and execution of the UTME,” Ufeli stated, adding that the conditions were “unjust and detrimental to the mental well-being and academic future of many candidates.”
The suit seeks multiple court declarations, including the nullification of the 2025 UTME results and an order for a fresh examination conducted under fair and transparent conditions. Additionally, Ufeli is requesting a perpetual injunction to prevent JAMB and the Ministry of Education from using the disputed results for academic or admission purposes. The plaintiffs are also demanding N10 billion in damages for the “psychological trauma, loss of opportunity, and breach of fundamental rights” suffered by affected candidates and their families.
JAMB has acknowledged the complaints, with Professor Oloyede admitting during a press conference on 14 May 2025 that a systemic failure contributed to the reported mass failures. The board has since ordered an expedited review of the examination process, engaging experts from the Computer Professionals Association of Nigeria and other institutions to investigate the technical issues. JAMB has also rescheduled examinations for 379,997 candidates, primarily from Lagos and the Southeast, to take place between 16 and 18 May at designated centres, citing a “combination of human error and technology” as the cause.
However, these measures have done little to quell public discontent. Social media platforms, particularly X, have been flooded with complaints from candidates and parents, many using the hashtag #ThisIsNotMyResult to protest low scores they believe do not reflect their abilities. Education advocate Alex Onyia, who reported that over 8,000 students had lodged formal complaints, announced plans for a separate class-action lawsuit against JAMB, demanding transparency in the marking process.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has defended JAMB, attributing the high failure rate to strengthened anti-malpractice measures. He argued that the results reflect a fraud-free examination process, unlike those conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO). “JAMB is now almost 100 per cent fraud-free,” Alausa claimed during a television appearance on 13 May 2025, announcing plans to transition WAEC and NECO to full computer-based testing by 2026.
Critics, including former presidential candidate Peter Obi, have described the UTME results as a symptom of deeper systemic issues in Nigeria’s education sector. Obi called for urgent reforms, while educationists and parents have urged the government to address underfunding and infrastructure deficits in schools.
As the legal battle looms, no date has yet been set for the hearing of Ufeli’s lawsuit. The outcome could have far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s education system, potentially forcing greater accountability and transparency from JAMB. For now, thousands of candidates await justice, hoping for a resolution that restores their faith in the examination process.
