Nigeria’s admissions authority has sounded the alarm over a surge in technology-assisted cheating, warning that artificial intelligence tools are being used to undermine the country’s university entrance exams.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Monday received a report from its Special Committee on Examination Infractions, which uncovered more than 6,000 cases of malpractice during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). These included thousands of biometric manipulations known as “finger blending,” nearly 200 cases of AI-enabled impersonation, and widespread use of forged documents and false identity claims.
Committee chair Dr Jake Epelle said malpractice had become deeply entrenched, with parents, schools, and private coaching centres implicated in the fraud. He warned that without urgent reforms, “merit will continue to be eroded, public trust will collapse, and Nigeria’s human capital development will be crippled.”
The panel recommended deploying AI-powered fraud detection systems, centralising exam security, prosecuting offenders, and strengthening the legal framework for digital crimes. It also urged cultural change through ethics education, parental accountability, and rehabilitative measures for minors caught cheating.
JAMB Registrar Prof Is-haq Oloyede welcomed the report, stressing that while reported malpractice during the UTME had declined, registration fraud and technologically-driven offences were on the rise. He said 80 per cent of fraud cases were orchestrated by parents, describing exam cheating as “a crime that produces incompetent professionals and undermines national development.”
