By joshua 
2026 UTME: Lawyer Dare Threatens N1bn Suit Against JAMB Over Candidate Casualties
A Kogi State-based lawyer and rights activist, Barr. Zacchaeus Dare Michael, has threatened to drag the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to court, demanding N1 billion in damages for any candidate who suffers casualty while writing the ongoing 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
Dare, who doubles as Executive Chairman of Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area, expressed outrage over JAMB’s policy of posting admission seekers outside their immediate domain, saying the move has already triggered “avoidable accidents, kidnappings, and security incidents” between April 16 and 22.
“JAMB must stop exposing our children to danger,” Dare declared in a statement on Friday. “Based on reports thus far, prospective university students are being kidnapped and involved in road accidents simply because they were forced to travel far from home for an exam that can be written anywhere.”
The legal practitioner contrasted today’s arrangement with past practice. “During our days, we sat in our various homes to write JAMB conveniently, yet we had a solid educational foundation better than what is obtained today,” he said.
He accused the examination body of adopting a policy it cannot fund or secure. “It is unfortunate that JAMB will adopt policy they cannot fund, exposing our children to danger, while claiming you are recording improvement,” Dare added. “What improvement justifies bloodshed? What technology justifies kidnapping?”
Dare’s threat comes amid confirmed newspaper reports of 14 candidates abducted in Benue State on April 16, three candidates plus a baby kidnapped and a driver killed in Kaduna on April 12, and other security breaches tied to the 2026 UTME.
“If one soul is lost because of this reckless posting, JAMB will pay,” Dare warned. “We are documenting every case. N1 billion is the minimum for the trauma, the danger, and the lives you are gambling with.”_
He called on the Minister of Education, the National Assembly, and parents nationwide to compel JAMB to revert to _“domicile-based testing or secured CBT centres within reasonable distance,” insisting that “no exam is worth a child’s life.”
As of press time, JAMB had not issued a formal response to Dare’s threat. The 2026 UTME, with 2.2 million candidates, runs nationwide until April 22.