BY ANTHONIA EMMANUEL
In a bold move to tackle the growing wave of examination malpractice across Nigeria, the Federal Government has issued a directive to major exam bodies to sanction candidates and Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres involved in any form of cheating.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, in a memo dated May 27, 2025, instructed the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the National Examinations Council (NECO), and the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) to take immediate disciplinary action against erring institutions and individuals.
The directive, which follows disturbing revelations of widespread cheating during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), mandates the blacklisting of any school or CBT centre found guilty of malpractice. Such centres are to be disqualified from hosting future examinations for a period determined by the exam body. In addition, all examination bodies are expected to enforce this sanction collectively to ensure consistency and deterrence.
Dr. Alausa emphasized that students found complicit in any form of malpractice should be banned from participating in external exams for three years. He noted that the use of the National Identification Number (NIN) would help enforce this restriction effectively. According to him, these measures are grounded in the provisions of Section 16(2) of the Examination Malpractices Act, which allows for shared sanctions across exam bodies for candidates or centres involved in cheating.
This crackdown comes in the wake of shocking disclosures by JAMB, which exposed sophisticated cheating strategies during the recent UTME. JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, described the extent of malpractice as “advanced digital fraud,” revealing that many cases involved impersonation, remote computer hijacking, and the use of AI technology to manipulate photo IDs.
The Registrar explained that some CBT centre operators collaborated with external actors to hack into examination systems, allowing third parties to take tests on behalf of registered candidates. In some cases, Local Area Networks (LANs) were illegally extended to undisclosed locations, allowing exam responses to be remotely submitted without the candidate being physically present.
Additionally, the board reported the use of multiple fingerprints for single registrations, allowing impersonators to access examination halls. JAMB also found evidence of seating arrangements being deliberately altered to pair candidates with paid ‘mercenaries,’ some of whom were identified as university undergraduates.
Over 3,000 candidates have already been flagged for their involvement in this widespread malpractice. Many of these cases have led to arrests and confessions, while further investigations are ongoing. JAMB has warned that any implicated candidates, regardless of whether their results were initially released, will have those results invalidated once the evidence is verified.
The Ministry of Education is urging all stakeholders,schools, examination bodies, and security agencies to work together in rooting out exam malpractice and protecting the credibility of Nigeria’s education system.
