IN SHORT: A message circulating on Facebook claimed that 15 candidates were abducted on their way to sit the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. But exam officials have refuted this.
In May 2025, 15 Nigerian students who were travelling to write the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) went missing. They were eventually found and reunited with their families.
The UTME is a standardised entrance exam used in Nigeria for admission to tertiary institutions, such as universities. It is administered annually by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
For 2025, the exams began on 25 April and ended on 5 May.
Days before their disappearance, the board had rescheduled exams for almost 380,000 candidates affected by serious technical errors.
In this context, some posts claim the candidates were abducted on their way from Onitsha in Anambra state to Okigwe in Imo state for the rescheduled exam.
One post reads: “Kidnappers Again. 15 #Student, their School Proprietor, His Wife Chartered A Bus from Onitsha To Okigwe To Write JAMB were kidnapped. Including the driver.”
The message appears here, here and here.
But is this alarming claim true? We checked.
No candidates were kidnapped
JAMB was criticised for the errors it made in the exams. It admitted fault and apologised.
But the board has refuted claims that 15 students went missing on their way to resit the exam. The agency said on X (formerly Twitter) that no candidates were abducted.
“This is to inform the general public that no candidates were kidnapped from Onitsha to Okigwe. The said candidates arranged a vehicle to convey them from Onitsha, Anambra state to write exam at Okigwe, Imo state.
“On their way, the vehicle developed a fault and unfortunately, there wasn't a mobile network in the area, as such, they couldn’t call for help. The candidates, according to the Imo state Police, had since reunited with their families,” the agency posted on the social media platform.
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