ABUJA— The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has received a damning report from its Special Committee on Examination Infractions (SCEI), revealing how technology-driven malpractice is threatening the integrity of Nigeria’s admission process.
Presenting the findings in Abuja on Monday to JAMB Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, the committee’s chairman, Dr. Jake Epelle, disclosed that investigators uncovered 4,251 cases of “finger blending”—a biometric manipulation tactic—and 190 cases of AI-assisted impersonation using image morphing during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The committee, inaugurated on August 18, 2025, was tasked with probing rising infractions, reviewing JAMB’s security systems, and recommending reforms. Epelle described the exercise as “a moral obligation, a national service, and a fight for the soul of meritocracy in Nigeria.”
Beyond biometric and AI fraud, the committee also documented 1,878 false disability claims, forged credentials, multiple National Identification Number (NIN) registrations, and collusion between candidates and examination syndicates.
To restore integrity in admissions, the panel recommended:
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Deployment of AI-powered biometric anomaly detectors, real-time monitoring, and a central Examination Security Operations Centre.
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Cancellation of fraudulent results, bans ranging from one to three years, prosecution of offenders, and a Central Sanctions Registry accessible to institutions and employers.
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Preventive measures such as digitising correction processes, strengthening disability verification, outlawing bulk school-led registrations, and tightening mobile-first platforms.
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Legal reforms through amendments to the JAMB Act and the Examination Malpractice Act to cover biometric and digital fraud, alongside the establishment of a dedicated Legal Unit within JAMB.
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A nationwide “Integrity First” campaign, embedding of ethics into school curricula, and parental accountability for aiding malpractice.
For candidates under 18, the committee urged rehabilitative measures under the Child Rights Act, including counselling and supervised re-registration instead of punitive sanctions.
Warning against complacency, Epelle stressed:
“If left unchecked, examination malpractice will continue to erode merit, undermine public trust, and destroy the very foundation of Nigeria’s education and human capital development.”
