The Special Committee on Examination Infractions (SCEI), recently inaugurated by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) have uncovered 4,251 cases of exam malpractice during its investigations into the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Chairman of the Committee, Dr. Jake Epelle presented the report to the JAMB Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede in Abuja on Monday.
TheFact Daily recalls that the panel was inaugurated on August 18, 2025 to probe rising infractions, review JAMB’s systems, and recommend reforms.
Dr. Epelle revealed that the team uncovered 4,251 cases of “finger blending” and 190 instances of AI-assisted impersonation through image morphing during its investigations.
Furthermore, the committee documented 1,878 false disability claims, forged credentials, multiple National Identification Number (NIN) registrations, and collusion between candidates and examination syndicates.
Dr. Epelle lamented that malpractice had become highly organised, technology-driven, and dangerously normalised. He warned that parents, tutorial centres, schools, and even some CBT operators were complicit in the fraud, while weak legal frameworks made enforcement difficult.
The committee therefore advised JAMB to adopt a multi-pronged response that includes deploying AI-powered biometric anomaly tools, real-time monitoring, and a central Examination Security Operations Centre if it was to reclaim integrity in admissions.
They also recommended the cancellation of fraudulent results, imposing bans of one to three years, prosecuting offenders and collaborators, and establishing a Central Sanctions Registry to be accessible to institutions and employers.
On prevention, the panel called for digitising correction processes, strengthening disability verification, tightening mobile-first platforms, and outlawing bulk school-led registrations.
It further advised legal reforms through amendments to the JAMB Act and Examination Malpractice Act to recognise biometric and digital fraud, as well as the creation of a Legal Unit within JAMB.
In addition, SCEI also stressed the need for cultural reorientation, urging a nationwide Integrity First campaign, embedding of ethics in school curricula, and parental accountability for aiding malpractice.
The SCEI also recommended that under-18 offenders go through rehabilitative measures under the Child Rights Act, including counseling and supervised re-registration rather than punitive sanctions.
The Chairman of SCEI in his remarks warned that unless urgent reforms were implemented, the credibility of Nigeria’s education system will be further eroded.
“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”, he said.
