Ahead of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has recommended the cancellation of registrations of candidates who paid illegal fees or solicited assistance to gain undue advantage in the examination.

At a media interaction in Abuja, the Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, described the development as a direct attack on fairness, merit and integrity in Nigeria’s education system, stressing that candidates and parents who patronise fraud syndicates cannot be regarded as innocent.

Oloyede disclosed that investigations uncovered criminal networks deploying artificial intelligence tools to impersonate JAMB officials, forge identity cards and create fake digital content to deceive candidates.

He also revealed that some tutorial centre proprietors moved candidates across states and lodged them for the purpose of examination malpractice.

According to him, more than 100 suspects had been identified nationwide, some CBT centres suspended, and security agencies engaged in ongoing investigations and prosecutions.

He appealed to the media, parents and schools to support the Board’s efforts to safeguard the credibility of the nation’s admission system.