The Nigeria Police Force, in collaboration with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has uncovered what authorities described as a sophisticated examination malpractice syndicate during the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Delta State.

The police, in a statement on Friday, said the syndicate allegedly deployed technology-assisted fraud and unauthorised remote access to compromise the integrity of the examination conducted at the College of Education, Warri.

Anthony Placid, the Force spokesperson, said preliminary investigations showed that candidates’ computer systems were illegally accessed remotely while the examination was ongoing.

The police said the breakthrough followed intelligence-led investigations into attempts by criminal elements to infiltrate the examination process using digital tools.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that during the examination, unauthorised remote access was illegally gained into candidates’ computer systems while the exercise was ongoing,” the statement said.

According to the police, operatives carried out coordinated operations based on “credible intelligence and digital forensic leads,” leading to the arrest of four suspects connected to the alleged malpractice network.

The suspects are currently in police custody and are assisting investigators, the statement added.

The police also said that investigations had uncovered the involvement of other examination centres suspected of engaging in similar activities.

As part of immediate administrative measures, JAMB has withdrawn results from the affected centres pending the conclusion of investigations.

The examination body said affected candidates would be rescheduled for the mop-up examination in line with its procedures.

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The police warned candidates, operators of examination centres and collaborators against engaging in examination malpractice, cyber-enabled fraud or unauthorised intrusion into examination systems.

The force reiterated its commitment to dismantling criminal networks seeking to undermine the credibility of Nigeria’s educational system and prosecuting those found culpable.

In mid-March, JAMB summoned 94 candidates and institutions over alleged registration fraud and submission of fake certificates during the 2026 UTME and direct entry registration. In September last year, it uncovered 6,319 cases of “tech-driven” cheating and arrested 40 candidates for malpractice in April 2025.

Police and JAMB catch UTME fraud suspects using technology during exam

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