By Anthony Otaru
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has uncovered an alarming scale of technology-driven malpractice in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), raising fears that Nigeria’s admissions process is under siege.
In its report submitted in Abuja, the Special Committee on Examination Infractions (SCEIi) disclosed that investigators tracked 4,251 cases of fingerprint manipulation (“finger blending”) and 190 instances of Artificial Intelligence-assisted impersonation through image morphing.
Committee Chairman, Dr. Jake Epelle, described the findings as a battle for the very soul of meritocracy, lamenting that cheating has become “highly organised, dangerously normalised, and powered by technology.”
He further revealed that the panel recorded 1,878 fake disability claims, forged credentials, multiple National Identification Number (NIN) registrations, and collusion with organised syndicates.
Parents, schools, tutorial centres, and even some CBT operators, he noted, were complicit in the fraud, while weak legal frameworks left enforcement toothless.
The panel recommended sweeping reforms, including the deployment of AI-powered biometric anomaly detectors, real-time monitoring, and a central Examination Security Operations Centre.
It also urged JAMB to cancel fraudulent results, impose bans ranging from one to three years, prosecute offenders, and maintain a central sanctions registry.
To shift culture, the committee called for a nationwide “Integrity First” reorientation campaign, ethics education in schools, and accountability for parents who encourage malpractice.
Receiving the report, JAMB Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, expressed deep concern that examination fraud has become sophisticated and deeply entrenched.
He recalled that at the committee’s inauguration in August, he had warned of “strange, technologically advanced tricks,” including biometric fraud, image blending, disability falsification, and attempts to hack CBT centre systems.
“We must resist examination malpractice with every pinch of blood in our veins,” Oloyede declared, insisting that Nigeria’s education system cannot survive if merit is sacrificed.
He emphasised that defending the integrity of the UTME is not just an administrative duty, but a national responsibility.
Earlier in May, Oloyede had publicly apologised over technical glitches affecting thousands of candidates, even breaking down in tears, an act stakeholders said underscored his sincerity and commitment to fairness in the admission process.
With the latest revelations, however, the registrar warned that the threat posed by technology-aided malpractice is far more existential.
“This is no longer casual cheating. It is an assault on merit, on the future of our children, and on the soul of this nation,” he said.
