The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced tough measures against candidates and parents found culpable in examination malpractice, warning that the era of leniency is over.
Speaking in Abuja on Saturday, the Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, said the Board was alarmed by recent discoveries of organised fraud networks targeting the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). He described the trend as a serious assault on merit and fairness within Nigeria’s education system.
Oloyede explained that JAMB had over the years committed substantial financial and technological resources to preserving the credibility of its examinations, stressing that these measures were designed to protect millions of diligent candidates who rely solely on hard work.
Investigations, he disclosed, uncovered criminal groups deploying artificial intelligence tools to impersonate JAMB officials and extort unsuspecting candidates. More troubling, according to him, was the active participation of some candidates and their parents, who knowingly paid for illicit assistance.
“The students and their parents are willing collaborators and cannot be regarded as innocent,” the Registrar said.
He revealed that over 100 candidates were linked to the scheme, with 83 confirmed to have made payments across 25 states, indicating that the malpractice is neither regional nor isolated.
He said the Board had forwarded recommendations to the Minister of Education, including the cancellation of affected registrations.
Oloyede also refuted claims circulating in some quarters that JAMB had increased its registration fees, describing the allegation as false and urging the public to report any centre charging above the approved rate.
As part of immediate corrective steps, several Computer-Based Test centres have been sanctioned, with some suspended from further participation in the examination process.
Dismissing suggestions that the Board should negotiate with offenders, the Registrar maintained that criminal conduct must be addressed through lawful channels.
“Why should we now be negotiating with criminals?” he asked, noting that suspects who left the country after previous examinations would be referred to security agencies for due process.
He emphasised that paying for examination fraud constitutes a criminal offence, warning that ignorance would no longer be accepted as a defence. Membership in online groups offering illegal assistance, he added, could also attract penalties.
Addressing parents directly, Oloyede cautioned that financing malpractice undermines a child’s moral foundation and future prospects. Encouraging shortcuts, he noted, sends a dangerous message that dishonesty is an acceptable path to success.
The Registrar further confirmed that some school proprietors were among those arrested in connection with the fraud.
On JAMB’s capacity to confront increasingly sophisticated schemes, Oloyede expressed confidence in the Board’s upgraded technical systems and its collaboration with national security agencies. He stated that enhanced monitoring mechanisms now enable the detection of prohibited electronic devices during examinations.
He also expressed concern over the involvement of underage candidates in malpractice, attributing the trend partly to parental pressure and complicity.
While reiterating that JAMB’s core mandate is the administration of examinations, Oloyede appealed to the media to support efforts aimed at discouraging malpractice and promoting integrity within the education sector.
