Nigerian parents storm JAMB office, protest children’s poor UTME scores

Tension flared at a Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) office as scores of aggrieved Nigerian parents staged a protest over what they described as unusually low scores recorded by their children in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The protest follows a recent disclosure by JAMB that over 70 percent of candidates who sat for the examination scored below 200 out of 400 — a revelation that has stirred widespread concern among candidates, parents, and education stakeholders.

Many of the protesting parents claimed their children, who had previously performed well in mock exams and previous JAMB attempts, were shocked to see drastically low scores this year. They demanded a thorough review of the results, citing inconsistencies and a possible technical error.

Videos from the scene showed parents expressing frustration, insisting that something must have gone wrong with the scoring process. “We are not here to cause trouble,” one parent said, “we only want answers and fairness for our children.”