By Olatunbosun Obafemi
The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, has revealed how the Board uncovered a sophisticated cheating scheme involving over 1,500 fake albino candidates during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Speaking in Abuja, Oloyede explained that the scheme involved the use of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools to manipulate facial images. Candidates and their accomplices allegedly blended facial features of two individuals to create synthetic images that mimicked the appearance of albinos, exploiting perceived weaknesses in JAMB’s facial recognition system.
“Some individuals attempted to cheat by falsely declaring themselves as albinos in a bid to exploit facial recognition vulnerabilities,” he said. He noted that JAMB grew suspicious after a sudden spike in the number of self-declared albino candidates — rising from the usual figure of under 100 to 1,787 in 2025.
Further investigation revealed that one registration centre alone recorded 450 alleged albino candidates, raising red flags. “As if all the albinos in Africa decided to go to that particular centre,” Oloyede quipped.
The scam was further exposed when a suspect in custody confessed to the AI-powered impersonation tactic, leading JAMB to verify that fewer than 250 candidates were genuinely albino.
Oloyede cited a notable case in Benin City, where a dark-complexioned man claimed to be albino. “That is one of their strategies,” he said.
JAMB has vowed to enhance biometric verification and prosecute all involved in the fraudulent scheme.
