JAMB Sets Up Special Committee to Probe 6,458 Technology-Driven Exam Malpractice Cases

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has established a special purpose committee to investigate 6,458 cases of technology-driven malpractice uncovered during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The 23-member committee was formally inaugurated on Monday in Abuja by JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, who expressed deep concern over the increasingly sophisticated methods employed by exam fraudsters.

During the ceremony, Prof. Oloyede decried the alarming rise in high-tech examination fraud, reaffirming JAMB’s commitment to upholding integrity and fairness in the country’s admission process.

He revealed that the results of 6,458 candidates remain under investigation for alleged involvement in high-tech cheating, urging the committee to submit a report not later than three weeks after the inauguration of the committee.

“This year we came across a number of strange things, and we felt that it would be better if we expanded our resources. And we believe that God has endowed this nation with a lot of resources that we can tap from,” Oloyede said.

According to him, malpractice has evolved beyond traditional schemes into “technologically sophisticated forms,” including multiple cases of biometric and identity fraud by some accredited CBT centres and candidates.

He disclosed that while 141 cases of “normal” exam malpractice have been sent to JAMB’s disciplinary committee, the committee will handle “extraordinary infractions,” such as image blending, albinism falsification, finger pairing, and attempts to breach some CBT centers’ local area network.

“Submit a report not later than three weeks after the inauguration of the committee.”

It was reported that members of the committee include Prof. Muhammad Bello, Prof. Samuel Odewummi, Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba, Prof. Tanko Ishaya, Prof. Ibe Ifeakandu, retired Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni, Dr. Chuks Okpaka of Microsoft Africa, and the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students.

Also represented are the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police Force, and the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, among others.