JAMB Panel Recommends Three-Year Ban for Exam Cheats and Stronger Reforms

The report highlights shocking malpractice statistics, sophisticated methods of cheating,
and a wide network of accomplices, raising serious questions about the credibility of
public examinations. It also offers comprehensive recommendations designed to curb fraud,
restore trust, and protect the future of Nigeria’s education.

JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, who received the panel’s report at
the headquarters in Bwari, Abuja, assured the committee that the board would implement
the recommendations, especially those within its legal mandate.

• 4,251 cases of “finger blending” – a fraudulent biometric practice.
• 190 cases of AI-assisted image morphing to impersonate candidates.
• 1,878 cases of false declarations of albinism to exploit disability waivers.
• Instances of credential forgery and multiple NIN registrations.
• Organised solicitation schemes involving schools, parents, and tutorial centres.

These figures demonstrate how cheating networks have grown more sophisticated,
often surpassing the legal and technological safeguards currently in place.

• CBT Centres – some centres collude with candidates by manipulating systems.
• Schools – institutions facilitating bulk fraudulent registrations.
• Parents – many actively encouraging malpractice to secure admission for their wards.
• Tutorial Operators – syndicates promising shortcuts and “guaranteed” scores.
• Technical Accomplices – IT experts who manipulate digital records.

Such widespread involvement has turned malpractice into a syndicated crime
rather than isolated individual offenses.

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• Banning offenders for 1–3 years from writing JAMB exams.
• Prosecution of candidates and collaborators under updated laws.
• AI-powered biometric anomaly detection to detect impersonation in real-time.
• Dual verification systems to prevent identity fraud.
• Real-time monitoring through a National Examination Security Operations Centre.
• Digitising correction workflows to prevent human interference.
• Enhanced disability verification to reduce fraudulent claims.
• Ban on bulk school-led registrations to reduce manipulation.

• Amendments to the JAMB Act to include digital fraud.
• Updating the Examination Malpractice Act to address biometric crime.
• Alignment with the Cybercrime Act and the Child Rights Act for minors.

For candidates under 18, the panel suggested rehabilitative measures such as
counseling and supervised re-registration instead of outright punishment, in line with child protection laws.

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The campaign would involve schools, religious organisations, and civil society,
making academic integrity a shared social value rather than just a regulatory requirement.

Prof. Oloyede strongly condemned malpractice, stating:

“Examination malpractice is not a victimless crime. It devalues education, cheats hardworking
candidates, and produces incompetent professionals: engineers who cannot build, doctors who
endanger lives, and graduates unfit to contribute to society.”

However, success will depend on the political will to enforce these reforms,
the adoption of cutting-edge technology, and the cooperation of all stakeholders – including
students, parents, schools, and CBT centres. If properly implemented, this reform agenda
could finally mark the beginning of the end for exam malpractice in Nigeria.