UTME Fraud: 80% of infractions are caused by parents — JAMB Committee
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Special Committee on Examination Infractions (SCEIi) has presented its report to the examination body, exposing how technology-driven malpractice is undermining Nigeria’s admission process.
Presenting the report in Abuja to the Registrar of the Board, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, Chairman of the Committee, Jake Epelle, said the team uncovered 4,251 cases of “finger blending” and 192 instances of AI-assisted impersonation through image morphing during its investigations into the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Beyond finger blending and Artificial Intelligence impersonation, the committee stated that it documented 1,878 false disability claims, forged credentials, multiple national identification number (nin) registrations, and collusion between candidates and examination syndicates.
The panel, inaugurated on August 18, was charged with the responsibility of probing rising infractions, reviewing JAMB’s systems, and recommending reforms.
Epelle lamented that malpractice has become highly organised, technology-driven, and dangerously normalised.
He said that parents, tutorial centres, schools, and even some CBT operators were complicit in the fraud, while weak legal frameworks made enforcement difficult.
The committee called on JAMB to adopt a multi-pronged response that includes deploying AI-powered biometric anomaly tools, real-time monitoring, and a central Examination Security Operations Centre.
Meanwhile, Jake Epelle, the Chairman of JAMB Special Committee on Examination Infractions, has revealed that parents account for 80 percent of fraudulent practices recorded in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The committee had earlier presented its report in Abuja on Monday to JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede.
According to Epelle, parents, tutorial centres, schools, and even some Computer-Based Test (CBT) operators were complicit in undermining the integrity of the examination.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today hours after the presentation of the report, the chairman of the committee said, “Eighty per cent of these infractions are caused by parents who want to give marks to their children that they don’t deserve.”
Epelle disclosed that the committee uncovered 4,251 cases of “finger blending” and 190 instances of artificial intelligence-assisted impersonation through image morphing.
He added that 1,878 false disability claims, forged credentials, multiple National Identification Number (NIN) registrations, and collusion between candidates and syndicates were also uncovered.
He warned that the rise of technology-enabled malpractices is creating fresh challenges.
“This is the age of AI and what is going on is that JAMB rolls out a state-of-the-art technology; there are people behind the scene and these are smart young Nigerians. The system is robust, but there is a consistent conspiracy to undermine the system,” he explained.
He stressed the need for homegrown solutions to address the menace.
“Every technology has its own glitches, and that is why I am a proponent of adaptive technology. We need a technology that is adapted within our environment, that speaks to issues that we are going through,” he added.
Epelle, however, assured that the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Oloyede, “will not condone any act that will in any way give impetus to any form of examination malpractices.”
