JAMB seeks ‘more radical’ solution to exam malpractice

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has called for a more radical approach to tackling digital examination fraud in the country.

JAMB Bulletin reports on Monday that Is-haq Oloyede, the registrar, made this call recently in Abuja.

He described the new trend as not only worrisome and sophisticated but also one that is capable of jeopardising the future of education.

Oloyede said malpractice is adversely affecting learning, research work, and national development in Nigeria.

The registrar said there is a need for urgent action on these new and worrisome discoveries and urged the public not to treat the issue with levity.

While noting that some people, rather than addressing the menace, are dissipating their energies on spreading unhelpful conspiracy theories and hatred, while our future is being jeopardised by this new crop of sophisticated digital fraudsters

“During the 2025 examinations, further high-level malpractices were uncovered, which led to the withdrawal of some results and the arrest of several culprits across the country,” he said.

Oloyede said these include the collusion of certain CBT centres and school proprietors to hack the networks of targeted CBT centres.

He said these hackers gain control of candidates’ computers and remotely submit their responses to the relevant local servers of the compromised centres.

Other high-tech digital fraud, Oloyede said, included AI-enabled photo blending of candidates with those of their impersonators, many of whom are current undergraduate students.

He said they also include registration with combined fingerprints through the combination of fingerprints from multiple persons for a single candidate’s registration.

He cited the extension of local area networks from some dubious centres to remote “strong rooms” as well as the pairing of candidates with professional mercenaries to gain access to the examination hall.

The JAMB registrar, while lamenting that many undergraduates were found to be involved in this practice, disclosed that over 3000 candidates have been identified as either accomplices or beneficiaries.

On May 27, the federal government ordered a crackdown on examination miracle centres, with a ban of three years for erring candidates.