We've uncovered AI syndicate sabotaging 2026 UTME registration

Ishaq Oloyede, registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has revealed that the examination body uncovered a syndicate allegedly deploying artificial intelligence tools to manipulate and bypass safeguards in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) registration process.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Saturday, Oloyede disclosed that several members of the syndicate have been arrested and are currently under investigation. He said the network had assisted candidates — many of them underage — in circumventing the board’s registration protocols.

According to him, about 38,000 underage candidates registered for the 2026 UTME, with roughly 100 already identified as beneficiaries of the illegal scheme. He added that JAMB has recommended the cancellation of their registrations to the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa.

“Parents and their children are willing collaborators and cannot be said to be innocent,” Oloyede said.

“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 proprietors of schools who are in custody for aiding and abetting examination malpractices.”

The registrar further revealed that three senior JAMB officials have been recommended for dismissal after being implicated in the sabotage. Additionally, two other officials and a staff member of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, are facing criminal prosecution over actions deemed harmful to the integrity of the examination body.

Oloyede assured that members of the syndicate would soon face prosecution, commending security agencies for their cooperation in dismantling the network.

“We are ahead of them. The only problem we have is public opinion,” he added, stressing that JAMB remains capable of protecting the integrity of its examination system.