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The Digest:

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has uncovered a syndicate allegedly using artificial intelligence to bypass the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) registration process to assist candidates. Registrar Ishaq Oloyede disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja, stating that members of the syndicate have been taken into custody. Oloyede revealed that approximately 38,000 underage candidates registered for the exam, with about 100 detected to have been aided by the syndicate. The board has recommended cancellation of their registration to the Minister of Education. Three top JAMB officials have been recommended for dismissal for collaborating to sabotage the system, while two other officials and an Ahmadu Bello University staff member face criminal prosecution. The syndicate's activities span at least 25 states, and three school proprietors are in custody for aiding examination malpractice.

Key Points
  • The use of AI to manipulate registration represents a sophisticated new frontier in examination fraud.
  • The involvement of underage candidates suggests parental pressure pushing children beyond their academic capacity.
  • The dismissal of senior officials indicates systemic corruption within the examination body itself.
  • The nationwide spread of the syndicate's activities points to organized, cross-state criminal networks.
  • JAMB's proactive detection demonstrates increasing institutional capacity to combat high-tech fraud.
JAMB's exposure of a high-tech fraud syndicate and internal collaborators underscores the escalating battle between examination integrity and sophisticated criminal enterprise in Nigeria's education sector.

Sources: JAMB Press Conference