JAMB Busts Fake Admission Letter Syndicate, Over 17,000 Candidates Flagged, Five ‘Ringleaders’ Arrested
In a statement signed by JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the board said the revelations follow a joint press conference it held with the Nigeria Police Force on April 13, 2024, which exposed a criminal ring fabricating fake JAMB admission letters for willing candidates in exchange for money.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has provided a fresh update on its ongoing investigation into a fake admission letter syndicate, revealing that more than 17,000 candidates were implicated in the widespread scam.
In a statement signed by JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the board said the revelations follow a joint press conference it held with the Nigeria Police Force on April 13, 2024, which exposed a criminal ring fabricating fake JAMB admission letters for willing candidates in exchange for money.
The syndicate, according to JAMB, was busted with the assistance of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC).
Five ringleaders were arrested and have since confessed to producing the fraudulent letters. They are currently facing prosecution in a case filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja: Inspector General of Police vs Effa Leonard and four others.
Following the confessions, 17,417 candidates were flagged as beneficiaries of the scam. By May 2025, 6,903 of these candidates had been cleared after rectifying minor discrepancies in their records. However, 10,514 remain under scrutiny and were referred to designated police investigation offices across the country.
Among those still under probe, 5,669 were confirmed to have deliberately procured forged admission letters, while 4,832 were identified as students whose admissions were initially undisclosed to JAMB but were in the process of being condoned by their respective institutions under a 2017–2020 ministerial waiver.
JAMB said these candidates bypassed proper channels and engaged the syndicate prematurely.
The board also flagged 13 additional candidates due to acts of omission or commission. Twelve of these individuals had registered in 2017, the year JAMB’s Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) was introduced.
The flagged candidates come from institutions including Bayero University Kano (BUK), Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Ramat Polytechnic, Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Ekiti State University, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Olabisi Onabanjo University, Osun State Polytechnic, Ben Idahosa University, Obong University, and the University of Ilorin.
At a board meeting held on July 5, 2025, JAMB resolved that the 13 candidates with minor infractions should be allowed to rectify their records and print new letters of admission, having been classified within the earlier-condoned group of 6,903.
Furthermore, the board said 1,532 candidates, who claimed ignorance of the syndicate’s involvement in their admission process, have been officially warned and condoned, after their institutions eventually completed the required condonement procedures.
As of the latest update, JAMB said 3,300 candidates remain under investigation for obtaining admissions through illegitimate or undisclosed means not backed by their claimed institutions.
JAMB reiterated its zero tolerance for irregular admissions and warned that even underage candidates, as well as any culpable parents, guardians, or mentors, will face legal consequences.
“The Board’s screening processes continue and any candidate found to have employed or solicited assistance from examination and certificate fraudsters or deviated from laid down procedures for registration, examination or admission would continue to face the consequences which include prosecution under the Examination Malpractices Act which prescribes appropriate punishment even for the under-aged and their culpable mentors, guardians or parents,” JAMB said.
