- JAMB Detects AI-Powered Fraud, Sanctions Candidates, CBT Centres
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- Over 100 Candidates Implicated in UTME Fraud Across 25 States
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has intensified its fight against examination fraud, warning that candidates and parents involved in illegal practices will face strict consequences.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the Board’s Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, described recent fraud schemes as a “grave and disturbing development” undermining the integrity of Nigeria’s education system.
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Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Saturday, Oloyede emphasised that JAMB remains committed to protecting fairness and merit in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
“Over the years, the Board has invested heavily financially, technologically, and institutionally to safeguard the credibility of UTME. These efforts are essential to protect millions of honest candidates whose only crime is believing that hard work still matters,” he said.
Recent investigations revealed that criminal syndicates have been exploiting artificial intelligence to impersonate JAMB officials and defraud candidates. Oloyede stressed that many candidates and their parents actively participated in these schemes.
“Students and parents who paid for illegal assistance are willing collaborators, not innocent victims. We are recommending that all implicated registrations be cancelled,” he added. According to the Registrar, over 100 candidates across 25 states were involved, with 83 confirmed to have made payments.
Oloyede dismissed claims that JAMB increased registration fees and warned candidates to report any centre charging beyond the official amount. He also disclosed that several computer-based test (CBT) centres had been sanctioned for violations.
Rejecting suggestions to negotiate with offenders, Oloyede said: “How do you negotiate with criminals? Paying for examination fraud is a punishable offence. Ignorance will not be accepted as a defence.”
He called on parents to recognize that sponsoring cheating does not secure a child’s future but instead teaches deception and undermines merit. Some school proprietors were also implicated.
The Registrar praised partnerships with security agencies, including the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Directorate of State Services, the Nigerian Police Force, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, asserting that JAMB has the capacity to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes.
He also noted enhanced technical systems capable of detecting prohibited devices during exams.
Oloyede raised concerns about underage candidates being involved in fraud and urged the media to assist in educating parents against introducing children to criminal activity.
The 2026 UTME registration ran from January 26 to February 28 at accredited centres, with more than 1.5 million candidates registered by mid-February.
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