How JAMB Uncovered 17,417 Fake Admission Letters and Is Prosecuting Five Suspects

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has uncovered a massive admission fraud involving the forgery of 17,417 admission letters and is set to prosecute five key suspects behind the scam.

According to a statement by JAMB’s spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the board collaborated with the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre to arrest the suspects who allegedly operated a syndicate responsible for producing fake admission letters for thousands of unsuspecting candidates across Nigeria.

“These individuals have confessed to their crimes and are being prosecuted at the Federal High Court in Abuja,” Benjamin revealed, adding that the board’s investigation has so far identified 17,417 compromised admission cases.

JAMB explained that out of this number, 6,903 candidates were cleared after rectifying minor discrepancies between 2024 and May 2025. However, 10,514 were referred to designated police offices for further investigation.

Of those referred, 5,669 candidates were confirmed to have knowingly procured forged admission letters, while another 4,832 cases are undergoing regularisation by their institutions under a ministerial waiver for the 2017–2020 period. The board added that a further 13 cases were flagged due to individual actions by the candidates involved.

Benjamin warned that any candidate found to have knowingly participated in admission fraud or sidestepped official procedures would face legal consequences.

“JAMB will not hesitate to prosecute candidates who engage in or patronize examination or certificate fraud syndicates. Anyone found guilty will face the full weight of the law,” he said.

The board reiterated that all admissions granted outside the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), introduced in 2017, are now deemed illegal and will not be recognised or regularised.