The Chairman of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Special Committee on Examination Infractions, Jake Epelle, has revealed that parents are responsible for 80 percent of fraudulent practices recorded in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Epelle made the disclosure on Monday after presenting the committee’s report to JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, in Abuja.
He later spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he accused parents of fueling malpractice by attempting to secure unearned marks for their children.
He said eighty per cent of these infractions are caused by parents who want to give marks to their children that they don’t deserve.
According to the report, the committee uncovered 4,251 cases of “finger blending” and 190 cases of impersonation aided by artificial intelligence image morphing.
It also documented 1,878 false disability claims, forged credentials, multiple National Identification Number (NIN) registrations, and collusion between candidates and organised syndicates.
Epelle warned that technology-enabled malpractices are creating new challenges for examination integrity.
He explained that this is the age of AI, and what is happening is that JAMB has rolled out state-of-the-art technology.
Behind the scenes are smart young Nigerians running the system. The system is robust, but there is a consistent conspiracy to undermine it.
He stressed the need for homegrown, adaptive technological solutions that reflect Nigeria’s realities, noting that every imported system has its limitations.
According to him, “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.
“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 said.
However, despite these challenges, Epelle assured that JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Oloyede, remains committed to tackling fraud and upholding the credibility of the examination process.
