The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has revealed alarming levels of malpractice in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), exposing more than 4,000 cases of biometric fraud across test centres nationwide.
Findings from JAMB’s Special Committee on Examination Infractions (SCEI) showed that 4,251 instances of “finger blending,” a biometric manipulation technique used to evade fingerprint verification, were detected during the examinations.
Presenting the committee’s report in Abuja on Monday, Chairman Dr Jake Epelle further disclosed 190 cases of Artificial Intelligence–assisted impersonation, where image morphing technology was used to falsify candidate identities. He added that 1,878 cases involved false disability claims, forged documents, multiple National Identification Numbers (NIN), and collusion with organised exam syndicates.
Dr Epelle warned that malpractice had evolved into a “highly structured, technology-driven enterprise” that was being normalised with the complicity of parents, tutorial centres, schools, and some CBT operators. He also highlighted the limitations of existing laws and called for amendments to the JAMB Act and the Examination Malpractice Act to better address digital and biometric fraud.
The committee recommended strict sanctions, including result cancellations, bans of up to three years, prosecution of offenders, and the creation of a Central Sanctions Registry accessible to schools and employers. For underage candidates, it advised rehabilitative measures under the Child Rights Act.
Other proposals include real-time surveillance, AI-driven anomaly detection, stricter disability verification, digitisation of correction processes, and the establishment of a central Examination Security Operations Centre. The committee also urged a national “Integrity First” campaign, integration of ethics into school curricula, and stronger parental accountability.
Receiving the report, JAMB Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, described the findings as “a wake-up call to the entire education sector.” He stressed that although JAMB had made progress, the sophistication of new fraud schemes meant the fight must remain continuous and adaptive.
Oloyede confirmed that JAMB was already in talks with security agencies and the National Assembly to strengthen legal frameworks. He warned that the complicity of families and tutorial centres pointed to “a deeper ethical crisis that requires urgent national dialogue and reorientation.”
Reaffirming the Board’s commitment, he said JAMB would continue to deploy advanced technology, deepen collaborations with institutions, and intensify public awareness to ensure merit remains the sole determinant of admission into higher institutions.
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