NECO Blacklists 38 Schools Over Exam Malpractice

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has revealed that 38 schools across 13 states were implicated in collective cheating during the 2025 Internal Senior School Certificate Examination.

During the announcement of the 2025 Internal SSCE results yesterday, NECO’s Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, mentioned that nine supervisors were suggested for blacklisting, and 3,878 candidates were found to be involved in various forms of malpractice.

“Nine supervisors, including three from Rivers, one from Niger, three from FCT, one from Kano, and one from Osun State, have been recommended for blacklisting due to inadequate supervision, facilitation of cheating, tardiness, disorderly conduct, assault, and insubordination.”

He stated that the schools associated with widespread cheating had been summoned to the council for discussions, after which suitable penalties would be imposed.

Dantani characterized the 2025 Internal SSCE as one of the most successful in recent years, noting that results were released 54 days after the final exam paper was completed.

He reported that 1,367,210 candidates registered for the examination, with 1,345,339 actually participating.

Furthermore, he indicated that 817,492 candidates, or 60.26 percent of those who sat for the exam, achieved five credits and above in all subjects, including mathematics and English. In total, 1,144,496 candidates, or 84.26 percent, obtained five credits and above, regardless of their performance in mathematics and English.

Dantani also mentioned that 1,622 candidates with special needs took part in the examination.

“Among those with hearing impairments, there were 586 males and 355 females, while 111 males and 80 females had visual impairments. Additionally, there were 47 males and 53 females with albinism, 62 males and 33 females with autism, and 55 males and 55 females with low vision. Lastly, candidates with adermatoglyphia numbered 89 males and 96 females,” he explained.

The registrar pointed out that the results of eight schools impacted by a communal clash in the Lamorde Local Government Area of Adamawa State had not been released, as the conflict disrupted the examination process and the students were unable to complete their assessments.

He added that discussions had begun with the government to arrange for the examinations to be conducted for the affected schools.

Dantani said that candidates could check their results on the NECO website using their examination registration numbers.

He noted that the latest examination might be his final year as NECO’s Registrar, expressing pride in the significant progress he had achieved thus far, emphasizing that the incidence of malpractice had decreased in recent years: “As you can see, those involved in various types of malpractice in 2025 total 3,878, compared to 10,094 in 2024, marking a reduction of 61.58 percent.”

He stated that staff members had intensified their efforts to ensure strict adherence to examination protocols and monitoring, emphasizing that students now understand that any misstep during the examination could jeopardize their academic progress.

The registrar mentioned that states in arrears with the examination body would have their results withheld until they settled their debts.

He also noted that the council was working towards incorporating computer-based testing (CBT) into its examinations, revealing that the 2025 external examinations would feature a blend of CBT and traditional pen-and-paper assessments.