FG Orders JAMB, WAEC, NECO to Blacklist CBT Centres, Candidates Linked to Exam Fraud

The Federal Government has directed major examination bodies in Nigeria to impose tough sanctions on candidates and Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres found guilty of examination malpractice, especially in the wake of widespread fraud reported during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Education Minister, Dr. Tunji Alausa, issued the directive in a letter dated May 27, 2025, instructing JAMB, WAEC, NECO, and NABTEB to blacklist implicated candidates and derecognize fraudulent CBT centres. According to the Minister, any school or centre found guilty should lose accreditation for a period determined by the examining body—and that ban must be uniformly enforced across all examination boards.

The minister also ordered that students caught cheating be barred from writing any external examination in Nigeria for three years, using their National Identification Number (NIN) as a tracking tool. He cited Section 16(2) of the Examination Malpractices Act to justify the enforcement, emphasizing a coordinated approach to punish malpractice and deter further abuse.

The clampdown follows revelations from JAMB regarding “advanced malpractices” uncovered during the 2025 UTME. According to JAMB Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, high-tech fraud was uncovered, involving centre proprietors colluding with technical hackers to remotely access candidates’ computers, use AI-based impersonation tactics, and illegally manipulate exam systems.

Some of the techniques included the use of professional exam mercenaries, combined fingerprints for registration, LAN extensions from centres to secret locations, and AI-driven photo blending to disguise impersonators. Over 3,000 candidates have already been identified as suspects or beneficiaries of these tactics, with investigations ongoing and results already being withdrawn where evidence is confirmed.

Alausa insisted that stricter accountability is necessary to protect the credibility of Nigeria’s examination system, which is increasingly under attack by tech-enabled cheating schemes involving both candidates and insiders at accredited centres.