The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced plans to recommend the cancellation of registration of candidates who paid for assistance to cheat in examination to score high marks in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The Board revealed plans to sack three staff members involved in selling unauthorised access to its examination portal, stressing that it will not tolerate any compromise on the integrity of UTME, given its significant investments in security measures.
Addressing a press briefing in Abuja on Saturday, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, revealed that the board has identified several individuals, including students, parents, and proprietors of tutorial schools, involved in examination malpractice.
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According to Oloyede, the board has evidence of candidates who paid for assistance to cheat in the examination, and those found guilty will face consequences.
“What is important for us to emphasise here is that the students themselves and their parents, they are willing collaborators and they cannot be regarded as innocent and we have made up our mind that what we are going to do, all those who subscribed, who paid to be assisted, we are making appropriate recommendations to the authorities, particularly to the Minister of Education so that we can cancel all the registration of all the, you know, they did this last year,” he said.
He emphasised that paying for examination fraud is a crime and that receiving illegal assistance is a punishable offence.
The Registrar also expressed concern about the involvement of parents and guardians in examination malpractice, stating that they are teaching their children that cheating is a strategy and that merit is optional.
Oloyede disclosed that 83 candidates were identified as having paid for assistance, and they are from 25 states across the country.
The board noted that it is working with security agencies, including the Office of the National Security Advisor, the Directorate of State Services, and the Nigerian Police Force, to investigate and prosecute those involved in examination malpractice.
Oloyede urged parents, guardians, and the public to support the board’s efforts to curb examination malpractice, emphasizing that it destroys the future of candidates and undermines the credibility of the examination system.
He also warned candidates that ignorance will not be accepted as a defence, and those found guilty will face consequences.
Oloyede, who expressed shock over the level of crime carried out, which included using AI to create pictures to depict closeness with JAMB officials, pleaded with the press to help the Board in the fight.
“So we want to appeal to you as members of the press to help us. We require the support of the press….we are ahead of them. The only problem we have is public opinion. The information we have, if we act on them, people will see us as draconians,” said.