A MAJOR AUDIT | JAMB | 9,469 ILLEGAL ADMISSIONS | WHAT NEXT

Inside Nigeria’s Illegal Admissions Crisis: What the Numbers Reveal, Who’s Accountable, and What Comes Next

Reporting from The Punch

In a major audit, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) flagged 9,469 unauthorized admissions carried out across 20 tertiary institutions in Nigeria during the 2024 academic cycle. These admissions bypassed the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS), a digital platform created to enforce transparency, monitor quotas, and validate student credentials.

This discovery pulls back the curtain on a persistent education challenge rooted in weak institutional oversight, economic pressures, and candidate desperation.

Institutions in Breach,  Who’s Breaking the Rules, and Why?

Topping the list of offenders is Kano State University of Science and Technology, with 2,215 illegal admissions, followed by Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (1,215) and Gombe State University (1,164). Institutions range from traditional universities to polytechnics, colleges of education, and specialist academies—including Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, and the Nigeria Police Academy.

Motivations vary: schools may exceed admission quotas for financial gain, recruit students into under-subscribed programs, or allow backdoor entries into competitive courses. By skirting CAPS, institutions operate in a grey area that compromises both fairness and data integrity.

Why Illegal Admissions Persist, Loopholes, Lapses, and Pressure Points?

Illegal admissions are often fueled by overlapping weaknesses in the system:

• Institutions admit for revenue generation, especially when government funding is limited or enrollment targets fall short.
• Admission officers sometimes act independently, preferring traditional methods to manipulate outcomes.
• Underutilized schools, many receiving fewer than 50 applications annually, are tempted to admit outside CAPS to survive.
• Candidates, especially those unaware of CAPS rules or desperate for placement, often accept unauthorized offers, unknowingly jeopardizing their academic futures.

Even with JAMB's NIN integration and IBASS tools offering robust safeguards, enforcement gaps and misinformation persist.

Risks for Students,  What’s at Stake When CAPS is Ignored?

Students admitted through illegal channels face long-term risks:

• Disqualification from NYSC—the National Youth Service Corps won’t accept graduates whose admission records don’t align with CAPS.
• Invalid credentials—their academic records may not be recognized during job screenings or postgraduate applications.
• Academic roadblocks—students may find themselves barred from registration portals, exams, or convocation ceremonies.
• Legal vulnerability—if their program is canceled or flagged, students could face an uphill battle trying to regularize their admission.

In extreme cases, entire cohorts have been left stranded, prompting emotional and legal appeals to education authorities.

Going Forward and Public Sentiment, Reform or Ruin?

In response to the scandal, key stakeholders are calling for sweeping changes:

• The Federal Ministry of Education, led by Dr. Tunji Alausa, reaffirmed that “Any admission conducted outside CAPS… is illegal” and threatened sanctions including prosecution and withdrawal of institutional licenses.
• Senator Shuaib Salisu, chair of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, called for legislation to criminalize fraudulent admissions, arguing that mere warnings were no longer effective.
• Many students and parents expressed outrage, while some institutions launched audits to clean up historic admission irregularities.
• Civil society organizations and journalists, notably The Punch, have highlighted student hardships and demanded transparency and accountability from erring institutions.

“Both institutions and the candidates involved in such practices will be held accountable.”,  Dr. Tunji Alausa, as reported by Punch, July 17, 2025 source.

Final Stop, Towards a Merit-Based Future

The mass exposure of illegal admissions signals both a crisis and an opportunity. If embraced correctly, reforms such as stricter CAPS integration, public awareness campaigns, and data-driven admission planning can reshape Nigeria's higher education landscape. But without collective action, especially by institutions, lawmakers, and students, the ghost of admission fraud will continue to haunt the system.