JAMB Exposes AI-Facilitated UTME Fraud, Links Parents to Scheme

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has uncovered a network using artificial intelligence to impersonate board officials and defraud candidates preparing for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Registrar Is-haq Oloyede, speaking on Saturday in Abuja, said over 100 candidates were connected to the scheme, with 83 confirmed to have made payments to criminal syndicates. Investigations also implicated three school proprietors in aiding examination malpractice.

Oloyede revealed that three senior JAMB officials were found complicit in sabotaging the system and have been recommended for dismissal. Additionally, two other board officials and a staff member from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, are facing criminal prosecution.

The registrar emphasized that both candidates and parents played active roles in the fraud. He expressed concern over underage candidates, noting that around 38,000 underage students registered for the 2026 UTME, with some pushed by parents into schemes beyond their academic readiness. “Paying for fraud does not secure a child’s future. It undermines integrity and teaches that deception is acceptable,” Oloyede said, urging parents to discourage malpractice.

JAMB has recommended the cancellation of registrations for those involved and sanctioned several computer-based test (CBT) centres. The board has also strengthened technical safeguards, including the detection of prohibited devices and biometric verification systems. Oloyede warned that paying for examination fraud, receiving illegal assistance, or participating in online groups offering such services will be treated as criminal offenses.

The board is coordinating with the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Nigerian Police Force, the Directorate of State Services, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to tackle these schemes. JAMB’s fight against examination fraud has continued since the 2013 transition to CBT. Measures have included biometric verification, blacklisting of non-compliant CBT centres, and cancellation of compromised results. In the 2025 UTME cycle alone, over 39,800 results were withheld pending investigations into suspected irregularities, including biometric manipulation and impersonation.

Oloyede concluded that JAMB has the capacity to stay ahead of evolving fraud methods, stating, “As they plan, we are planning.”