A special committee set up by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has exposed a new wave of technology-driven exam malpractice threatening the integrity of its admission process.
The JAMB Special Committee on Examination Infractions, in its report submitted to the board’s registrar Ishaq Oloyede on Monday, revealed that fraudsters are now using artificial intelligence and advanced biometric manipulation to subvert the system.
Jake Epelle, the committee’s chairman, said their investigation into the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) uncovered 192 cases of AI-assisted impersonation through image morphing.
This technique, also known as “deepfakes,” allows fraudsters to superimpose a candidate’s face onto an impostor’s body, effectively fooling biometric verification systems.
Advertisement
The report also detailed 4,251 instances of “finger blending,” a method where candidates’ fingerprints are merged or altered to allow multiple individuals to register under one identity.
The committee said it found a range of other infractions, including
1,878 false disability claims, forged credentials, multiple NIN registrations, and collusion between candidates and exam syndicates.
Epelle described the current state of malpractice as “highly organised, technology-driven, and dangerously normalised.”
Advertisement
He lamented that parents, tutorial centres, schools, and even some computer-based test operators are complicit in the fraud, while weak legal frameworks make prosecution and enforcement difficult.
To combat this rising threat, the committee recommended a multi-pronged response.
This includes deploying new AI-powered biometric anomaly tools, implementing real-time monitoring of the exam process, and establishing a central examination security operations centre to track and respond to threats as they happen.
The probe committee, which was inaugurated on August 18, was tasked with investigating the rising cases of malpractice.
Advertisement
It was to reviewing JAMB existing systems and recommend comprehensive reforms to secure the examination process.
