The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has reported the discovery of fraudsters using artificial intelligence (AI) to impersonate its officials and exploit candidates preparing for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
On Saturday, Registrar Is-haq Oloyede made the announcement in Abuja, cautioning that both candidates and parents implicated in this illicit scheme could face significant repercussions.
Mr. Oloyede disclosed that investigations had linked over 100 candidates to this fraudulent operation, with 83 individuals confirmed to have made payments to the criminal syndicates.
Additionally, he indicated that the individuals involved hailed from 25 different states. Three school proprietors have been detained for their roles in facilitating examination malpractice.
Furthermore, two other officials, along with a staff member from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, are currently facing criminal charges related to actions harmful to the integrity of the examination process.
Mr. Oloyede emphasized the board's findings, indicating a disturbing trend that includes underage candidates, with approximately 38,000 minors registered for the 2026 UTME. He expressed concern that many of these candidates, pushed beyond their academic capabilities by their parents, were engaging with the fraudsters.
While JAMB's mandate is to conduct examinations, he appealed to parents to refrain from encouraging examination misconduct, underscoring that paying for fraudulent aid does not secure a child's future but rather undermines their potential.
“Parents need to recognize that financing fraud only damages their children's prospects. They risk instilling a belief that cheating is a viable strategy and that honesty is irrelevant,” he stated.
Rejecting calls for the board to negotiate with suspects—some of whom reportedly fled the country after last year's exams—Mr. Oloyede confirmed that punitive actions had already been taken against certain computer-based testing (CBT) centers.
He warned that anyone involved in or paying for examination fraud would face sanctions, stating firmly, “Let it be made clear that engaging in examination fraud is criminal. Seeking illegal aid is a punishable act. Membership in online groups providing these fraudulent services will no longer be tolerated. Ignorance will not exempt anyone from responsibility.”
Collaboration with security agencies has been a priority for the board to combat these fraud schemes. Mr. Oloyede acknowledged the support received from the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Directorate of State Services, the Nigerian Police Force, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
The board has developed robust capabilities to address these issues, ensuring they stay ahead of the fraudsters, while also enhancing their technical systems to detect prohibited devices during examinations.
This recent revelation highlights JAMB's ongoing battle against organized examination fraud, a challenge it has faced since transitioning from paper- based tests to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) in 2013. This switch was largely seen as an effort to eliminate widespread malpractices such as exam leakages and impersonation.
Since then, the board has blacklisted several CBT centers and nullified results due to various violations, implementing biometric verification to curb impersonation during exams.
In the last UTME cycle of 2025, JAMB withheld more than 39,800 results as investigations into potential irregularities continued.
These inquiries revealed instances of biometric manipulations, including fingerprint and identity data tampering, along with allegations of impersonation during examinations.
In response, necessary actions such as the blacklisting of culpable CBT centers and result cancellations were undertaken, with the introduction of multiple verification technologies aimed at safeguarding the examination process.
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