The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) vows to crack down on exam malpractice, recommending stiff penalties for 11 Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres and their agents linked to fingerprint registration fraud during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, says the Board’s technology “does not only prevent infractions but detects them with precision,” warning that exam cheats and complicit centres will be rooted out.
Speaking after a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja today, Oloyede discloses that any registrant involved in registering over 50 candidates with infractions will be barred from UTME, WAEC, NECO, or NABTEB for three years.
“Such individuals will neither register nor participate in our exams. They will be placed under suspension pending a future review,” he says, as read by JAMB’s spokesman, Dr Fabian Benjamin.
For lesser infractions, erring registrants must write apology letters and sign non-recidivism bonds. Compromised CBT centres will also sign bonds and submit proof of staff training from nearby federal universities.
“No centre will work with us again unless they show evidence of ethical training,” Oloyede insists. “Federal-run centres will be reported to appropriate authorities.”
Many affected registrants broke down in tears, pleading ignorance. However, stakeholders argue ignorance is no excuse.
Former Lagos Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, calls for legal action. “This is criminal. They should be prosecuted, but in the spirit of education, JAMB may temper justice with reform,” he suggests.
Bashir Gumel, an official of Jalors CBT Centre, acknowledges the malpractice and promises corrective steps. “We’re conducting internal investigations and will update JAMB accordingly. This will never repeat.”
Affected centres span across Bauchi, Bayelsa, Gombe, Edo, Abuja, Jigawa, Lagos, Oyo, Plateau, FCT, and Rivers.
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