AfriPulse
The Special Committee on Examination Infractions for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) has recommended that the results of about 6,319 candidates found guilty of technology-driven cheating be cancelled.
The panel constituted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) also recommended that affected candidates should be banned from sitting for the UTME for one to three years, alongside their prosecution.
Chairman of the Committee, Dr. Jake Epelle, who read out the recommendations while presenting the committee’s findings on Monday in Abuja, warned that if left unchecked, “examination malpractice would continue to erode merit, undermine public trust, and destroy the very foundation of Nigeria’s education and human capital development.”
According to him, the recommendations were meant to contribute to strengthening JAMB, safeguard the future of education in the country and build a country where merit, not malpractice, determines destiny.
He said: “Examination malpractice has evolved into a highly organised, technology-driven, and culturally normalised enterprise. We documented 4,251 cases of ‘finger blending’, 190 cases of AI-assisted image morphing, 1,878 false declarations of albinism, and numerous cases of credential forgery, multiple NIN registrations, and solicitation schemes.
“This fraud is not the work of candidates alone—it is sustained by syndicates involving some CBT centres, schools, parents, tutorial operators, and even technical accomplices.
“To restore integrity to Nigeria’s admission system, we propose a multi-layered framework built on detection, deterrence, and prevention:
“Detection: Deploy AI-powered biometric anomaly detection, dual verification systems, real-time monitoring, and a National Examination Security Operations Centre.
”Deterrence: Cancel results of confirmed fraudulent candidates, impose bans of 1–3 years, prosecute both candidates and their collaborators, and create a Central Sanctions Registry accessible to institutions and employers.
“Prevention: Strengthen mobile-first self-service platforms, digitise correction workflows, tighten disability verification, and ban bulk school-led registrations.
“Legal Reform: Amend the JAMB Act and the Examination Malpractice Act to recognise biometric and digital fraud, and provide for a Legal Unit within JAMB.”
Receiving the report, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, assured that the Board would prioritise implementation of the recommendations, particularly those within JAMB’s mandate, while it would also consult the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, on some of the issues.
“Examination malpractice is not a victimless crime. It devalues education, cheats hardworking candidates, and produces incompetent professionals, engineers who cannot build, doctors who endanger lives, and graduates unfit to contribute to society.”
Oloyede, who observed that 80 per cent of malpractice cases were orchestrated by parents, warned that such complicity entrenches children in dishonesty and perpetuates underdevelopment.
While reporting a decline in traditional malpractice as only 140 cases were recorded this year, he cautioned that new technology-driven infractions remain a growing threat.
The JAMB Registrar disclosed that the Board was pursuing a three-pronged strategy involving sanctions, investment in integrity through technology, and moral education to combat malpractice.
The committee, composed of experts from academia, technology, security, civil society, and law, was given six clear terms of reference, including investigating methods of malpractice, reviewing the cases of 6,458 suspected candidates, and recommending sanctions and preventive measures.
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Source: NewTelegraphNG.com | Read the Full Story…
