The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has uncovered a massive forgery scandal involving at least 15,000 candidates who falsified admission letters to qualify for mobilisation into the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). The shocking revelation was made by the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, during the 2025 Batch C Pre-Mobilisation Workshop held in Abuja on Monday.
According to Professor Oloyede, the fraudulent act was discovered through JAMB’s central admissions verification system, which flagged inconsistencies in the admission details submitted by candidates seeking NYSC clearance. He described the development as one of the most disturbing discoveries in the board’s recent history, lamenting that some top officials in tertiary institutions were also complicit in the manipulation.
The Registrar further disclosed that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has already arrested and is investigating 17 Deputy Vice-Chancellors, several Deputy Registrars, and four JAMB staff members over their alleged roles in the scandal. He emphasized that the board would not tolerate any form of compromise in its operations, warning that those found guilty would face the full wrath of the law.
Oloyede explained that the fraudulent candidates forged JAMB admission letters in order to be recognized as graduates and to gain access to NYSC mobilisation despite not having authentic admissions from any accredited institution. He stressed that the discovery was made possible through JAMB’s improved data integration system, which now enables real-time verification between universities, polytechnics, and the NYSC.
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The JAMB boss, visibly displeased, recounted how he once rushed to inform NYSC officials about the alarming number of forged admission letters, stating that he initially thought the figure was exaggerated until investigations confirmed its authenticity. He said the board has since initiated internal reforms and strengthened its security systems to prevent such large-scale forgery from recurring.
Meanwhile, the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier-General Olakunle Nawfiom, commended JAMB for its swift action and reiterated the NYSC’s commitment to transparency and accountability. He noted that the scheme has continually faced challenges related to data falsification, multiple registrations, and fake academic credentials, stressing that collaboration with JAMB and other agencies remains vital to safeguarding the integrity of the mobilisation process.
The NYSC Director of Corps Mobilisation, Mrs. Rachel Idaewor, added that despite the introduction of the NYSC Integrated System in 2014 to digitize mobilisation processes, fraudulent activities have persisted due to poor data verification by some institutions. She called for stricter compliance with data-sharing protocols between universities and JAMB to ensure that only qualified candidates are mobilized for national service.
Education stakeholders have expressed concern over the revelation, describing it as a symptom of deeper systemic corruption within the higher education sector. They urged the Federal Government to tighten oversight on the operations of satellite campuses and unaccredited study centres, many of which have been identified as breeding grounds for such fraudulent activities.
Professor Oloyede, however, maintained that the board’s ultimate goal is not only to expose fraud but to restore credibility to Nigeria’s tertiary education and national service systems. He advised institutions to verify all admission data directly with JAMB rather than relying on students’ physical documents, warning that ignorance of the verification process would not be an excuse for future violations.
As investigations continue, both JAMB and the NYSC have vowed to work closely with anti-corruption agencies to ensure that those involved are brought to justice. The agencies reaffirmed their commitment to transparency and to upholding the integrity of Nigeria’s education and youth service sectors. The discovery of 15,000 forged admission letters, they say, serves as a wake-up call for stakeholders to strengthen systems that guarantee accountability and meritocracy.
