Seven individuals, including invigilators and teachers, have been arrested for alleged involvement in examination malpractice during the ongoing 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination, the West African Examinations Council has confirmed.

WAEC's Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, told Citi News that the arrests were made across three regions, with three suspects picked up in the Central Region, two in the Bono Region and two in the Ashanti Region.

Kapi disclosed that five of the seven suspects were found with mobile phones inside examination halls, which were allegedly used to photograph question papers and circulate them on WhatsApp platforms. He added that some suspects allegedly used ChatGPT to generate answers, which were then dictated to candidates during the examinations.

The two remaining suspects, although not found with mobile phones, were also implicated in the scheme. One was reportedly caught distributing prepared answers to candidates, while the other was arrested for allegedly duplicating answer sheets for circulation among candidates.

All seven suspects have since been handed over to the police for further investigation.

Kapi expressed concern that financial incentives appeared to be motivating the offences despite repeated warnings from examination authorities.

"I think they are enticed by monetary considerations; otherwise, I wouldn't understand why anybody would want to do this even after all the warnings," he stated.

WAEC reiterated its warning to candidates, invigilators and the general public against engaging in malpractice, stressing that offenders risk prosecution and cancellation of their results.