Nigeria’s university admissions body says it has uncovered a syndicate allegedly using artificial intelligence to manipulate the registration process for the 2026 national university entrance examination.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) said the group was helping candidates to bypass safeguards in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) system.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, JAMB registrar Ishaq Oloyede said several suspected members of the syndicate had been taken into custody and investigations were continuing.
He said many of the candidates who benefited from the scheme were underage, adding that some parents had pushed their children into the examination system despite them not being academically ready.
According to JAMB, about 38,000 underage candidates registered for the 2026 UTME. Of those, around 100 have so far been identified as having received assistance from the syndicate during registration.
Mr Oloyede said the board had recommended to the minister of education, Tunji Alausa, that the registrations of the affected candidates be cancelled.
He also disclosed that three senior JAMB officials had been recommended for dismissal after being found to have collaborated in undermining the system. Two other officials, alongside a staff member of Ahmadu Bello University, are facing criminal prosecution over their alleged roles.
“This incident cuts across at least 25 states,” Mr Oloyede said, adding that three school proprietors were also in custody for allegedly aiding examination malpractice.
“Parents and their children are willing collaborators and cannot be said to be innocent,” Oloyede said.
“We have made recommendations to the minister of education to cancel their registration; there are about 100 of them.
“This incident cuts across the country, in at least 25 states. We also have three proprietor of schools who are in custody for aiding and abeting examination malpractices.”
JAMB praised security agencies for their cooperation, saying the board had the capacity to detect and counter attempts to compromise the integrity of the examination process, even as investigations continue nationwide.
