The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said it has uncovered criminal syndicates that are deploying artificial intelligence tools to impersonate its officials and defraud candidates preparing for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The Registrar of the board, Is-haq Oloyede, disclosed this on Saturday in Abuja, warning that candidates and parents involved in the scheme would face severe consequences.
Mr Oloyede also said three top officials of the board have been found to have collaborated in sabotaging the system and have been recommended for dismissal.
He added that two other officials and a member of staff of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, are currently undergoing criminal prosecution for involvement in activities inimical to the integrity of the examination body.
Over 100 candidates implicated
Mr Oloyede said investigations revealed that more than 100 candidates were linked to the scheme, with 83 confirmed to have made payments to the syndicates.
He added that those involved cut across 25 states with three school proprietors in custody for aiding and abetting examination malpractice.
He further said the board had made recommendations to the Minister of Education for the cancellation of the affected registrations.
“What is important for us to emphasise here is that the students themselves and their parents are willing collaborators and cannot be regarded as innocent,” he said.
Mr Oloyede also expressed concern about the involvement of underage candidates, noting that about 38,000 underage candidates have registered for the 2026 UTME.
He said many of the candidates who patronised the syndicate are underaged, who have been pushed by their parents beyond their academic capacity.
While noting that JAMB’s mandate is limited to conducting examinations, he urged parents to refrain from encouraging malpractice.
“Parents must understand that paying for fraud does not secure a child’s future. It destroys it. You are teaching them that cheating is a strategy, that deception is acceptable, and that merit is optional,” he said.
‘We will not negotiate with criminals’
Mr Oloyede rejected suggestions that the board should negotiate with suspects, including some who allegedly fled the country after last year’s examination.
He added that some computer-based test (CBT) centres had already been sanctioned.
He warned that paying for examination fraud or belonging to online groups offering such services would attract sanctions.
“Let it be clearly understood by all Nigerians that paying for examination fraud is a crime. Receiving illegal assistance is a punishable offence. Being a willing member of a WhatsApp group where these fake services are offered will no longer be condoned. Ignorance will not be accepted as a defence,” he said.
Security agencies involved
Mr Oloyede said the board is working with security agencies to tackle the fraud schemes.
He thanked the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Directorate of State Services, the Nigerian Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps for their support.
“As for capacity, we have the capacity to deal with all these issues. If we did not have the capacity, we would not be able to stay ahead of them. As they are planning, we are planning,” he said.
He added that JAMB has strengthened its technical systems, including the ability to detect prohibited devices during examinations.
JAMB’s long battle with malpractice
The latest revelation adds to JAMB’s long-running struggle against organised examination fraud.
The board transitioned from paper-based tests to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) in 2013, a move widely seen as an attempt to curb widespread malpractice, including question leaks and impersonation.
Since then, JAMB has blacklisted CBT centres and cancelled results over various infractions. It has also repeatedly introduced biometric verification measures aimed at preventing impersonation during examinations.
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In the 2025 UTME cycle, JAMB withheld over 39,800 results as investigations into suspected irregularities continued.
The investigations, through a committee set up by the board, uncovered cases of biometric fraud, including manipulation of fingerprints and identity data, as well as alleged impersonations during examinations.
In response, JAMB blacklisted some CBT centres involved in the malpractices, cancelled compromised results and introduced multiple layers of verification technology aimed at securing the examination process.