Exam Cheats Beware! Candidates Caught in Malpractice to Face 3-Year Ban — Education Minister Warns

Candidates found guilty of exam misconduct would not be allowed to appear for any future external examination for three years, according to a directive from Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education.

Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the spokesperson for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), told the media yesterday that the National Examinations Council (NECO), the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), and other external exam bodies should blacklist exam centers and candidates who have been found to have engaged in malpractice.

Additionally, there are signs that the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has opened an inquiry into the purported JAMB data leak.

The JAMB spokesperson said that the minister’s order, which is in accordance with Section 16(2) of the Examination Malpractices Act, gives examination bodies the authority to share the identities of violators with other organizations, possibly with the intention of applying comparable sanctions.

The National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) was also instructed by Alausa to put candidates and computer-based test (CBT) centers on a blacklist for engaging in exam misconduct.

The National Identification Number (NIN) will be used to enforce the prohibition, which would be applicable to exams administered by organizations including JAMB, WAEC, NECO, and NABTEB.

The minister’s letter, dated May 27, 2025, to JAMB and other examination boards contained his directive, which was reportedly his response to the astoundingly harsh tactics that preceded the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

In announcing the results of the 2025 UTME retake, JAMB asserted that it had documented “advanced malpractices.” Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, JAMB Registrar, stated, “A sophisticated level of digital fraud is endangering Nigeria’s future while some Nigerians are wasting their energies on hate speech and conspiracy theories.”

According to sources aware of the JAMB technical issue, the NDPC launched a probe into the claims because of worries that hackers may have compromised the integrity and confidentiality of applicants’ personal information.

The insider went on to say that a comprehensive audit of data processing and third-party activity would be included in the probe. Recently, JAMB acknowledged that 379,997 applicants in 157 testing locations around Lagos and the South-East were impacted by a technical glitch on its systems.

At least 20 individuals were taken into the custody of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and the Department of State Services (DSS) as a result of additional investigation, it was learned.

This is a small portion of the more than 100 well-known hackers who broke into the digital systems of well-known testing organizations like JAMB.