The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has received the report of its Special Committee on Examination Infractions, which recommended stringent measures to curb malpractice and punish offenders.
Submitting the report to the JAMB Registrar in Abuja, Chairman of the Committee, Dr Jake Epelle, revealed that examination malpractice has evolved into a highly organized, technology-driven, and culturally normalized enterprise.
According to him, the scheme is carried out by syndicates in collaboration with some CBT centres, schools, parents, tutorial operators, and technical accomplices.
The Committee’s findings exposed 4,251 cases of finger blending, 190 cases of AI-assisted image morphing, 1,878 false declarations of albinism, along with several instances of credential forgery, multiple NIN registrations, and solicitation schemes.
Dr Epelle stressed that restoring integrity to Nigeria’s admission system requires a multi-layered framework built on detection, deterrence, and prevention.
Key recommendations include deploying AI-powered biometric anomaly detection, dual verification systems, and real-time monitoring through a National Examination Security Operations Centre.
The Committee also called for the cancellation of results of fraudulent candidates, imposition of one- to three-year bans, prosecution of both candidates and collaborators, and the establishment of a Central Sanctions Registry accessible to institutions and employers.
Additional proposals outlined digitizing correction workflows, strengthening mobile-first self-service platforms, tightening disability verification, and banning bulk school-led registrations. The Committee further recommended amending the JAMB Act and the Examination Malpractice Act to recognize biometric and digital fraud, while creating a dedicated Legal Unit within JAMB.
Beyond technology and legal reforms, the Committee urged the launch of a nationwide “Integrity First” campaign, embedding ethics into school curricula, and enforcing parental accountability. For under-18 offenders, it advised rehabilitative measures under the Child Rights Act, including counseling and supervised re-registration.
The Special Committee on Examination Infractions, inaugurated on August 18, 2025, was tasked with investigating, reviewing, and recommending strategies to address the rising threat of technologically-enabled malpractice in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
RN
