More than 100 candidates preparing for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination have been implicated in an artificial intelligence driven fraud scheme, with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board recommending the cancellation of their registrations to the Minister of Education.
Is haq Oloyede, the JAMB Registrar, made this disclosure on Saturday in Abuja, revealing that criminal syndicates had deployed AI tools to impersonate board officials and defraud unsuspecting candidates.
According to Mr Oloyede, 83 of the implicated candidates have been confirmed to have made payments to the syndicates, with the fraud cutting across 25 states. Three school proprietors are currently in custody for aiding and abetting examination malpractice.
The Registrar was clear in his assessment of culpability. “What is important for us to emphasise here is that the students themselves and their parents are willing collaborators and cannot be regarded as innocent,” he stated.
Mr Oloyede expressed particular concern about the involvement of underage candidates in the scheme, noting that approximately 38,000 underage candidates have registered for the 2026 UTME. He said many of those who patronised the syndicate are underage students pushed by their parents beyond their academic capacity.
He directed sharp criticism at parents who facilitate such malpractice. “Parents must understand that paying for fraud does not secure a child’s future. It destroys it. You are teaching them that cheating is a strategy, that deception is acceptable, and that merit is optional,” he said.
The fraud scheme has also exposed complicity within JAMB itself. Mr. Oloyede disclosed that three top officials of the board have been found to have collaborated in sabotaging the system and have been recommended for dismissal. Two other officials and a staff member of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, are currently facing criminal prosecution for involvement in activities that undermine the integrity of the examination body.
Mr. Oloyede firmly rejected calls for the board to negotiate with suspects, including some who allegedly fled Nigeria after last year’s examination. He announced that some computer based test centres had already been sanctioned and warned that severe consequences await those involved in examination fraud.
“Let it be clearly understood by all Nigerians that paying for examination fraud is a crime. Receiving illegal assistance is a punishable offence. Being a willing member of a WhatsApp group where these fake services are offered will no longer be condoned. Ignorance will not be accepted as a defence,” he declared.
The board is working with multiple security agencies to tackle the fraud networks. Mr Oloyede thanked the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Directorate of State Services, the Nigerian Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps for their support in the ongoing investigations.
With registration for the 2026 UTME nearing its close, JAMB appears determined to send a clear message: candidates and parents who engage in fraud will face full accountability, and the board will not hesitate to deploy every available tool to protect the integrity of Nigeria’s most critical tertiary entrance examination.
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