- NECO investigates mass cheating in 38 schools across 13 states.
818,492 candidates earned five credits including English and Mathematics.
Council plans reforms to strengthen supervision and shorten exam timelines.
The National Examinations Council has opened investigations into cases of mass cheating involving 38 secondary schools across 13 states during the conduct of the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE internal).
Registrar of the council, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, disclosed this in Minna, Niger State, on Wednesday while announcing the release of the 2025 SSCE results. He said the affected schools would be summoned for discussions before sanctions are applied.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that according to him, the 38 schools formed part of 3,878 malpractice cases recorded during the examination, though the figure marked a significant reduction compared to 10,094 cases recorded in 2024.
“During the conduct of the 2025 SSCE, 38 schools were involved in whole school (mass) cheating across 13 states. They will be invited to the Council for discussions, after which appropriate sanctions will be applied,” Wushishi said.
He further revealed that nine supervisors were recommended for blacklisting — three in Rivers, one in Niger, three in the FCT, one in Kano and one in Osun — over allegations of aiding and abetting, lateness, insubordination, unruly behavior, and poor supervision.
The NECO boss also cited disruptions in Lamorde Local Government Area of Adamawa State, where communal clashes affected eight schools between July 7 and 25, 2025. The crisis disrupted 29 papers across 13 subjects, with discussions ongoing with the state government to reschedule the exams for affected schools.
Despite these challenges, Wushishi highlighted improved overall performance. Out of 1,367,210 registered candidates, 1,358,339 sat for the examination. Of these, 818,492 candidates (60.26 per cent) obtained five credits and above, including English and Mathematics, while 1,144,496 candidates (84.26 per cent) secured five credits and above in all subjects irrespective of the two core subjects.
The report also noted that 1,622 candidates had special needs, including 941 with hearing impairments and 191 with visual impairments. In state performance rankings, Kano led with 68,159 candidates obtaining five credits and above including English and Mathematics, followed by Lagos with 67,007, and Oyo with 48,742. In contrast, Gabon, one of NECO’s foreign centres, recorded no candidate with five credits and above.
Looking ahead, Wushishi announced that NECO will now conduct SSCE on 38 subjects in line with the revised national curriculum, a move expected to shorten the exam cycle and reduce the waiting period for results.
He stressed that the council remains committed to protecting the integrity of its examinations, warning that any school or official found culpable in malpractice would be sanctioned.
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