JAMB Raises Alarm Over Rising Digital Exam Fraud—3,000+ Candidates Under Investigation!

To combat the threat of digital exam fraud in the nation, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has advocated for a more drastic strategy.

More than 3,000 incidents of digital examination fraud are being investigated, according to JAMB Registrar Professor Is-haq Oloyede, who made the call in Abuja.

In addition to being concerning and sophisticated, he said the new trend had the potential to endanger the nation’s educational future and have a negative impact on research, learning, and national development.

Oloyede advised the public not to take the problem lightly and emphasized the urgency with which these fresh and concerning discoveries must be addressed.

He claimed that although this new generation of highly skilled cybercriminals is endangering our future, some people are wasting their time and energy spreading hate and useless conspiracy theories rather than confronting the threat.

Additional high-level malpractices were discovered during the 2025 exams, which resulted in the removal of some results and the nationwide arrest of multiple offenders.

“As recently discovered by security agencies, for which we are extremely thankful, these harmful practices include collusion by some CBT center/school owners to hack the networks of targeted CBT centers, thereby gaining control of candidates’ computers and remotely submitting their responses to the relevant local servers of the compromised centers.”

According to Oloyede, other high-tech digital frauds included the use of AI to blend candidates’ photos with those of their impersonators, many of whom are currently enrolled in undergraduate programs; registration using a combination of fingerprints from multiple people to register a single candidate; the extension of Local Area Networks (LAN) from certain questionable locations to distant “strong rooms”; and pairing candidates with professional mercenaries to enter the exam room.

The registrar said that more than 3,000 applicants nationwide have been determined to be either collaborators or beneficiaries of this unprecedented test fraud, while bemoaning the fact that many undergraduates from postsecondary institutions are discovered to be implicated in this malicious practice.

Nonetheless, he thanked sister testing bodies for allowing the Board’s 2025 UTME retake exam to fit into their busy schedules.

Oloyede also expressed gratitude to security agencies and other important parties for their vital support in making the retake exam a success.

The registrar thanked sister examination bodies in a message for their cooperation and support. They also thanked Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), the National Examinations Council (NECO), and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for their kind consent to reschedule their respective exams.

Additionally, he expressed gratitude to the security services for their assistance and admirable work in catching those responsible for exam misconduct. He also praised the contenders’ tenacity.

The nation was reassured of the board’s genuine and committed service at all times, and the government and good people of Nigeria were thanked for their understanding and patience.