JAMB EXPOSED Them! Over 80% Skip Mop-Up Exam Amid Cheat Crackdown

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has revealed that more than 80 percent of the 98,232 candidates scheduled for Saturday’s mop-up Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) failed to show up — a situation attributed to tighter security measures aimed at exposing impersonators and exam cheats.

Speaking to journalists at the NAF Valley Estate Technology CBT Centre in Abuja, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, expressed shock over the low turnout, confirming that only around 12,000 candidates—just over 12%—eventually appeared nationwide.

According to Oloyede, mop-up exams are typically reserved for 4,000–5,000 candidates with verified reasons for missing the main exam, such as illness or technical issues. However, this year’s numbers surged due to suspiciously widespread absences reported during the main UTME.

“In the wisdom of the management and our stakeholders, we felt everybody should be given a second chance,” Oloyede said. “But with intelligence from the police and DSS, we also saw an opportunity to flush out impersonators.”

He explained that many candidates likely avoided the mop-up exam after JAMB intensified screening efforts, including facial recognition and data tracing through phone numbers, NINs, and school records.

Some CBT centers expecting 250 candidates per session saw fewer than 20 attendees. “What you have are syndicates — some tutorial centers and school owners have turned into exam malpractice rings,” he added.

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One of the more bizarre cheating tactics uncovered involved individuals falsely declaring themselves albinos to exploit facial recognition vulnerabilities. According to Oloyede, over 1,700 candidates registered as albinos this year—up from the usual 100—yet investigations showed only around 250 genuine albino candidates. One center alone registered 450.

“These fraudsters are blending photos using AI to make impersonators resemble candidates. Declaring ‘albino’ status helped them bypass certain checks,” he revealed, adding that one impersonator arrested in Benin falsely claimed to be albino.

Oloyede confirmed that impersonators who failed to appear would be tracked and held accountable. “They registered with names, phone numbers, and NINs. Many are already being picked up,” he said.

Parents who sponsored such schemes are also under investigation and could face prosecution.

As for the mop-up exam results, they may be delayed until Monday to allow JAMB time to screen for fraud and remove compromised scores.

In another worrying development, Oloyede disclosed that 14 candidates were caught this year attempting to use forged certificates to register for Direct Entry (DE) admissions. He accused some educational institutions of being complicit, especially in awarding backdated certificates.

One candidate who graduated from secondary school in 2021, for example, was “admitted” into an NCE programme in 2020 and supposedly graduated in 2023 — a timeline Oloyede called “clearly fraudulent.”

He warned that such schemes, aimed at exploiting a temporary amnesty offered for illegal admissions between 2017 and 2020, would be thoroughly investigated. “All institutions involved will be held accountable,” the registrar vowed.