A special committee set up by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has uncovered large-scale examination malpractices in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), recommending the cancellation of results belonging to 6,319 candidates.
The committee, led by the Founder of The Albino Foundation, Dr. Jake Epelle, presented its findings to JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, in Abuja. According to the report, the cases involved highly advanced cheating techniques, including 4,251 cases of “finger blending,” 190 instances of AI-assisted image morphing, and 1,878 false declarations of albinism. Other forms of fraud exposed included credential forgery, multiple National Identity Number (NIN) registrations, and organized solicitation schemes.
Epelle revealed that the malpractice extended beyond candidates, implicating some Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres, schools, parents, tutorial operators, and technical accomplices. He described the situation as a growing threat to the credibility of Nigeria’s education system, warning that the legal framework for addressing biometric and digital fraud remained inadequate.
The committee recommended not only the cancellation of the results but also the banning of indicted candidates for one to three years, prosecution of offenders and their collaborators, and the introduction of a multi-layered security framework. Suggested reforms include AI-powered biometric anomaly detection, dual verification systems, real-time monitoring, and the establishment of a National Examination Security Operations Centre.
Other recommendations focus on digitising correction workflows, enhancing disability verification, banning bulk school-led registrations, and launching a nationwide “Integrity First” campaign to promote ethics among students. For offenders under 18, the panel suggested rehabilitative measures such as counseling and supervised re-registration under the Child Rights Act.
Receiving the report, Oloyede said JAMB would begin immediate implementation of the recommendations within its mandate, while seeking the input of the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, on other policy matters.
“Examination malpractice is not a victimless crime,” Oloyede stressed. “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.”
The registrar assured that JAMB remains committed to restoring merit, fairness, and credibility to the admissions process, describing the report as a blueprint for a new era of accountability in Nigeria’s education system.