Parents who pay criminal syndicates to secure fraudulent examination advantages for their children are not victims but active participants in a scheme that destroys the integrity of Nigeria's admission process, the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has declared.

Is haq Oloyede made this assertion on Saturday in Abuja while unveiling the findings of an investigation into an artificial intelligence driven fraud network that has ensnared over 100 candidates preparing for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

The investigation revealed that criminal syndicates have been deploying AI tools to impersonate JAMB officials and defraud candidates, with 83 of the implicated students confirmed to have made payments. The fraud scheme spans 25 states, and three school proprietors are currently in custody for aiding and abetting examination malpractice.

Mr. Oloyede rejected any characterisation of the students and parents involved as innocent parties. "What is important for us to emphasise here is that the students themselves and their parents are willing collaborators and cannot be regarded as innocent," he stated.

He reserved particularly strong criticism for parents, many of whom, he said, are pushing underage children into examinations for which they are not academically prepared. The Registrar disclosed that approximately 38,000 underage candidates have registered for the 2026 UTME, noting that many of those who patronised the fraud syndicates fall into this category.

"Parents must understand that paying for fraud does not secure a child's future. It destroys it. You are teaching them that cheating is a strategy, that deception is acceptable, and that merit is optional," Mr. Oloyede said.

The JAMB Registrar announced that recommendations have been submitted to the Minister of Education for the cancellation of registrations linked to the fraud scheme. He warned that the board would not negotiate with suspects, including those who allegedly fled Nigeria after last year's examination, and confirmed that some computer based test centres had already been sanctioned.

The investigation has also exposed internal complicity. Mr. Oloyede disclosed that three top JAMB officials have been found to have collaborated in sabotaging the system and have been recommended for dismissal. Two other officials and a staff member of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, are currently facing criminal prosecution.

The board is collaborating with multiple security agencies to dismantle the fraud networks. Mr. Oloyede thanked the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Directorate of State Services, the Nigerian Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps for their support.

"As for capacity, we have the capacity to deal with all these issues. If we did not have the capacity, we would not be able to stay ahead of them. As they are planning, we are planning," he said, adding that JAMB has enhanced its technical systems to detect prohibited devices during examinations.

By publicly naming parents as active participants rather than victims, JAMB appears to be escalating its rhetoric in a bid to shift public perception and hold families accountable for their role in undermining the credibility of Nigeria's tertiary admission system.