The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disclosed that it uncovered at least 585 forged A-Level certificates in 2025 alone, raising serious concerns over the integrity of Nigeria’s tertiary admissions process.
This revelation was made by the Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, during a virtual meeting with JAMB staff in preparation for the upcoming 2025 Mock-UTME and the main Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Professor Oloyede expressed deep concern over the increasing incidence of certificate fraud, stating that it was this growing challenge that led to the creation of the Nigeria Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System (NIPED).
The system, he explained, was designed to curb the proliferation of fake academic credentials and strengthen data verification processes within the higher education sector.
Among the fraudulent documents identified were 13 forged Interim Joint Matriculation Board (IJMB) certificates—an advanced-level qualification used by candidates to secure direct entry admission into the second year of university without sitting for the UTME.
These certificates were uploaded by professional registration centres and are now the subject of ongoing police investigations.
According to Professor Oloyede, four individuals have already been apprehended and are cooperating with authorities to trace the wider network behind the forgery syndicates.
Initial investigations suggest the complicity of insiders within various institutions, who are believed to have aided and abetted the illegal activity.
“Investigation revealed that there were internal collaborators in the institutions aiding and abetting this gross misconduct,” Oloyede confirmed, calling for urgent reform and vigilance across the sector.
The Registrar also addressed another emerging concern: reports of candidate extortion at some Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres. Allegations have surfaced of students being forced to pay for services that are meant to be provided free of charge. Professor Oloyede described the situation as “mind-boggling” and warned that such unethical practices could erode public trust in the examination and admissions process.
He urged JAMB staff to remain steadfast in upholding the integrity of the Board and avoid any actions that could compromise its mission. “We must not allow the credibility of the Board to be undermined by unscrupulous individuals,” he said.
This is not the first time JAMB has uncovered widespread certificate forgery.
In 2024, the Board detected 1,665 fake A-level results during the direct entry registration process. Of these, 397 were linked to colleges of education, 453 to university diploma programmes, and the rest to various other A-level qualifications.
At Bayero University, Kano, only six of 148 certificates submitted for direct entry were found to be authentic, prompting renewed scrutiny and collaborative efforts to tackle academic fraud.
The Board has also raised alarm over tertiary institutions that admit students using unverified A-Level results, bypassing the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).
It cautioned that any institution found engaging in such practices may be deemed complicit in result falsification and could face sanctions.
