The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has dropped a bombshell on Nigeria’s education system, recommending severe sanctions against 11 Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres and several candidates involved in biometric fraud during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) registration.
The scandal, which came to light after a high-stakes emergency meeting in Abuja, reveals an alarming level of malpractice—where some registrants fraudulently submitted fingerprints for more than 50 other candidates. JAMB’s Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, did not mince words when he announced the board’s proposed crackdown.
“Any individual who registered over 50 candidates using fraudulent fingerprints will be banned from all JAMB activities—including UTME, WAEC, NECO, and NABTEB—for three years,” he said through JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr. Fabian Benjamin.
This punishment, however, still awaits the approval of the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa. But the message is clear: JAMB is done tolerating fraud.
⚠️ Fraud, Ignorance, and a Plea for Mercy
The revelations sparked emotional scenes at the stakeholder meeting. Some registrants, caught red-handed, broke down in tears. Many admitted their wrongdoing but begged for mercy, claiming ignorance and pressure from CBT operators to inflate registration numbers.
One operator from Jigawa’s Jicoras CBT Centre, Bashir Gumel, tearfully confessed, “This is our first year of operation. We didn’t fully understand the rules. We are sorry. Please, give us another chance.”
But JAMB appears resolute. While lesser offenders may receive only written warnings and be made to submit letters of apology and signed bonds, the most egregious culprits will be frozen out of Nigeria’s entire educational testing system for three years—an unprecedented move.
🛑 CBT Centres Face Public Scrutiny and Retraining
The crackdown doesn’t stop with individuals. JAMB is also coming hard on the CBT centres accused of complicity. While they haven’t been immediately blacklisted, each implicated centre must undergo retraining and receive ethical certification from a nearby federal university.
“Without proof of this training, no CBT centre involved will participate in future JAMB activities,” Oloyede warned.
For CBT centres operated by federal institutions, JAMB will forward official reports to the authorities of those institutions for further disciplinary actions.
🕵🏽 The Centres Under Fire
Here are the 11 CBT centres under investigation for fingerprint fraud:
- Misau Emirate ICT Centre, Misau, Bauchi State
- Ijaw National Academy, Kiama, Bayelsa State
- Directorate of ICT, Nigerian Army University, Biu, Gombe State
- Emerald IT Academy Ltd., Benin City, Edo State
- Tigh Technologies, Sascon Int’l School, Maitama, Abuja
- Jicoras CBT Centre, Babura, Jigawa State
- Huntsville Technology Ltd., Anthony, Lagos
- Jolas College CBT Centre, Obalende, Lagos
- Abdul Ocean Wealth CBT Centre, Ibadan, Oyo State
- National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Wase, Plateau State
- Consulate Salle D’Examen CBT Centre, Rivers State
Many of these centres are reportedly under internal review. But for JAMB, the message is simple: no more second chances without accountability.
🧭 A Turning Point for Exam Integrity
Former Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, present at the meeting, admitted that these offences are prosecutable but appealed to JAMB to focus on rehabilitation.
“Let’s have them sign undertakings and go through retraining rather than heading to court. But there must be consequences,” he said.
This latest move by JAMB signals a new era of vigilance and zero-tolerance toward examination malpractice. It also puts pressure on educational institutions and testing bodies across Nigeria to enforce stricter checks and ensure transparency in future exams.
With students’ futures hanging in the balance, this crackdown by JAMB could be a game-changer—or a wake-up call for an education system often plagued by corruption and shortcuts. The emotional pleas and the hardline stance show a clash between systemic rot and the push for reform. Nigeria is watching.
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