The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has uncovered alarming levels of examination malpractice during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), describing the trend as a sophisticated, technology-driven enterprise.
Findings from JAMB’s Special Committee on Examination Infractions (SCEI), presented in Abuja on Monday, revealed **4,251 cases of “finger blending”** — a biometric manipulation scheme designed to bypass fingerprint verification across multiple centres.
Committee Chairman, Dr. Jake Epelle, also disclosed **190 incidents of Artificial Intelligence–assisted impersonation**, where candidates allegedly deployed image-morphing technology to falsify their identities.
The committee further reported **1,878 cases of false disability claims**, forged documents, multiple National Identification Number (NIN) registrations, and collusion between candidates, syndicates, and some CBT centre operators. Epelle warned that malpractice has become dangerously normalised, implicating parents, schools, and tutorial centres in what he described as “a highly structured fraud system.”
To restore integrity to the process, the panel recommended sweeping reforms, including:
* Deployment of **AI-based biometric anomaly detection** and real-time surveillance.
* Establishment of a **central Examination Security Operations Centre**.
* Annulment of fraudulent results, sanctions ranging from bans to prosecution, and a **Central Sanctions Registry** accessible to institutions and employers.
* Legislative reforms to strengthen the **JAMB Act** and the **Examination Malpractice Act** against digital and biometric fraud.
* Rehabilitation and counselling, rather than punitive measures, for offenders under 18.
The committee also called for a cultural shift, proposing a nationwide **“Integrity First” campaign**, ethics education in schools, and stronger parental accountability.
Receiving the report, JAMB Registrar, **Professor Is-haq Oloyede**, praised the committee’s work, describing the revelations as “a wake-up call to the education sector.” He acknowledged JAMB’s progress in curbing malpractice but stressed that new fraud schemes demand continuous innovation and stronger collaboration.
Oloyede assured stakeholders that JAMB will adopt the recommendations, engage security agencies, and work with the National Assembly to close legal loopholes. He also emphasised the shared responsibility of families, schools, and society in discouraging exam misconduct.
“Merit will remain the sole basis for admission,” the Registrar reaffirmed, pledging continued investment in advanced technology, institutional cooperation, and nationwide awareness campaigns.
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