The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has uncovered a syndicate allegedly using artificial intelligence to bypass the 2026 unified tertiary matriculation examination (UTME) to assist applicants who are underaged.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Saturday, the JAMB Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede said the board is currently investigating members of the syndicate who have been taken into custody.
He said many of the candidates who patronised the syndicate are underaged, who, according to him, have been pushed by their parents beyond their academic capacity.
Oloyede said about 38,000 underage candidates have registered for the 2026 UTME, adding that about 100 of them have been detected to have been assisted by the syndicate during the registration.
He added that the board has recommended the affected candidates to the minister of education, Tunji Alausa, for cancellation of their registration.
The JAMB registrar said three top officials of the board have also been recommended for dismissal after being found to have collaborated in sabotaging the system.
He added that two other officials and a member of staff of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, are currently undergoing criminal prosecution for involvement in activities inimical to the integrity of the examination body.
Oloyede said members of the syndicate are being investigated and will soon face necessary criminal prosecution.
According to him, “Parents and their children are willing collaborators and cannot be said to be innocent.
“We have made recommendations to the minister of education to cancel their registration; there are about 100 of them.
“This incident cuts across the country, in at least 25 states. We also have three proprietor of schools who are in custody for aiding and abeting examination malpractices.”
The JAMB registrar commended security agencies for their cooperation, adding that JAMB has the capability to deal with all those sabotaging its system. “We are ahead of them. The only problem we have is public opinion,” he pointed out.
