The panel set up by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to investigate irregularities in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) on Monday submitted its report to the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, in Abuja.
The panel, chaired by Dr. Jake Epelle, was inaugurated on August 18, 2025, with a mandate to probe suspected irregularities, review JAMB’s systems and recommend corrective reforms.
Presenting the findings, Epelle said the investigation uncovered alarming new methods of examination malpractice. According to him, the committee documented 4,251 cases of “finger blending” — the deliberate manipulation of biometric checks — and 190 cases of AI-assisted impersonation using image morphing.
Other infractions included 1,878 false disability claims, widespread use of forged credentials, multiple National Identification Number (NIN) registrations and evidence of collusion between candidates and organised syndicates. The probe implicated a wide network of facilitators, including some parents, tutorial centres, schools and several CBT operators. Epelle noted that weak legal frameworks had hampered enforcement efforts.
“To us, this was a moral obligation, a national service and a fight for the soul of meritocracy in Nigeria,” he said, describing the malpractice as “highly organised, technology-driven and dangerously normalised.”
To restore credibility to the UTME, the panel recommended, deployment of AI-powered biometric anomaly detection tools, real-time monitoring and a central Examination Security Operations Centre, cancellation of fraudulent results, with sanctions ranging from one- to three-year bans and prosecution of offenders, creation of a Central Sanctions Registry for institutions and employers, digitising correction processes, tightening disability verification, securing mobile-first platforms and outlawing bulk school-led registrations.
The committee also urged legal reforms, including amendments to the JAMB Act and the Examination Malpractice Act to cover biometric and digital fraud, as well as the establishment of a dedicated Legal Unit within JAMB. It further recommended a nationwide “Integrity First” campaign to embed ethics in school curricula and hold parents accountable for aiding malpractice.
For offenders under 18, the committee suggested rehabilitative measures under the Child Rights Act such as counselling and supervised reintegration rather than punitive sanctions.
Epelle warned that without urgent reforms, the credibility of Nigeria’s education system could deteriorate further.
