The Special Committee on Examination Infractions (SCEI), set up by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has revealed alarming levels of examination malpractice in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The chairman of the committee, Dr. Jake Epelle, disclosed that a staggering 80 per cent of the infractions were linked to candidates’ parents, with complicity from tutorial centres, schools, and some faith-based institutions.
The committee, inaugurated on August 18, 2025, was charged to investigate the surge of examination misconduct, evaluate JAMB’s systems, and recommend reforms to restore the integrity of Nigeria’s examination processes.
Sitting for three weeks, the panel uncovered 4,251 instances of “finger blending” (biometric manipulation), 192 cases of artificial intelligence-assisted impersonation using image morphing technology, and 1,878 false declarations of albinism, often to evade normal biometric standards.
One shocking example included a medical student who was found to sit the UTME every year on behalf of paying clients, revealing the depth of the fraud syndicates involved.
Despite these challenges, Dr. Epelle praised JAMB’s computerized testing system as one of the most advanced in the country, though he noted ongoing conspiracies aimed at undermining it.
The panel’s report also highlighted negligence by some JAMB staff that contributed to the errors, with sanctions already applied.
JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, was commended for his transparency and leadership, including publicly apologizing for the shortcomings—an unusual move among Nigerian public officers.
Recommended measures by the committee include enhanced use of AI-powered biometric anomaly detection, real-time monitoring, cancellation of fraudulent results, prosecution of offenders, and creation of a Central Sanctions Registry.
The report also suggests legal reforms to cover biometric and digital fraud under the JAMB Act and Examination Malpractice Act.
The committee called for a nationwide cultural reorientation through an Integrity First campaign, embedding ethics into educational curricula, and holding parents accountable for involvement in malpractices.
For offenders under 18, rehabilitative measures such as counseling and supervised reintegration are proposed in line with the Child Rights Act.
Dr. Epelle emphasized the urgency of reforms, warning that without decisive action, the credibility of Nigeria’s education system could collapse, eroding public trust and harming future human capital development.
Over 1.9 million candidates sat the 2025 UTME, with more than 6,300 suspected cases of malpractice identified—demonstrating the widespread scale and technological sophistication of the problem.
The panel’s findings have triggered strong calls for reform and enforcement to safeguard academic meritocracy and restore faith in national examinations.
