The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, says a wave of sophisticated, technology-enabled malpractices is threatening the integrity of Nigeria’s admission process.
This followed the submission of a report by JAMB’s Special Committee on Examination Infractions,SCEI, presented in Abuja on Monday to the Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, by the committee’s chairman, Dr. Jake Epelle.
According to Epelle, the committee uncovered 4,251 cases of “finger blending” and 190 instances of AI-assisted impersonation through image morphing during investigations into the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.
The panel, inaugurated on August 18, 2025, was tasked with investigating the surge in exam infractions, assessing JAMB’s systems, and proposing reforms.
Describing the assignment as “a moral obligation, a national service, and a fight for the soul of meritocracy in Nigeria,” Epelle said the committee’s findings went beyond technical irregularities, revealing that malpractice has become highly organised, technology-driven, and dangerously normalised.
Other infractions identified included 1,878 false disability claims, forged credentials, multiple National Identification Number (NIN) registrations, and collusion between candidates and syndicates.
Epelle noted that parents, tutorial centres, schools, and even some CBT operators were complicit, while weak legal frameworks hampered enforcement.
To restore credibility, the committee recommended a multi-pronged strategy.
The committee recommended the deployment of AI-powered biometric anomaly tools, real-time monitoring, and a central Examination Security Operations Centre, cancellation of fraudulent results, sanctions ranging from one- to three-year bans, prosecution of offenders, and the establishment of a Central Sanctions Registry for institutions and employers and prevention measures such as digitising correction processes, strengthening disability verification, tightening mobile-first platforms, and outlawing bulk school-led registrations.
The panel also called for legal reforms, including amendments to the JAMB Act and the Examination Malpractice Act to cover biometric and digital fraud, as well as the creation of a Legal Unit within JAMB.
On values, it urged a cultural reorientation drive through a nationwide Integrity First campaign, embedding ethics in school curricula, and holding parents accountable for aiding malpractice.
For offenders under 18, the committee recommended rehabilitative measures under the Child Rights Act, such as counseling and supervised reintegration, rather than punitive sanctions.
Epelle warned that unless urgent reforms are implemented, the credibility of Nigeria’s education system could collapse further.
He cautioned.“If left unchecked, examination malpractice will continue to erode merit, undermine public trust, and destroy the very foundation of Nigeria’s education and human capital development,”
