JAMB panel uncovers tech-driven malpractice undermining admissions

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Special Committee on Examination Infractions has revealed alarming cases of technology-driven malpractice compromising Nigeria’s admission process.

Presenting its findings in Abuja to JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the committee’s chairman, Jake Epelle, disclosed that investigators uncovered 4,251 cases of “finger blending” and 192 instances of AI-assisted impersonation through image morphing in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The committee also reported 1,878 false disability claims, forged credentials, multiple national identification number registrations, and collusion between candidates and examination syndicates.

Inaugurated on August 18, the panel was tasked with probing examination fraud, reviewing JAMB’s security systems, and suggesting reforms. Epelle lamented that malpractice has become highly organised, technology-driven, and worryingly normalised, with parents, tutorial centres, schools, and some CBT operators implicated, while weak legal frameworks make prosecution difficult.

The panel urged JAMB to adopt a multi-pronged strategy, including AI-powered biometric anomaly detection, real-time monitoring, and the establishment of a central Examination Security Operations Centre.