NECO probes mass cheating in 13 states as 2025 SSCE results are released

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has launched investigations into cases of mass cheating involving 38 schools across 13 states during the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE internal).

Registrar of the council, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, disclosed this on Wednesday in Minna, Niger State, while announcing the release of the 2025 SSCE results.

He said the affected schools would be summoned to face the council before sanctions are applied. The mass cheating incidents formed part of 3,878 cases of malpractice recorded in this year’s examination, a significant decline from 10,094 cases in 2024.

“During the conduct of the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination, 38 schools were found to have been involved in whole school (mass) cheating in 13 states. They will be invited to the council for discussion, after which appropriate sanctions will be applied,” Wushishi said.

He added that nine supervisors had also been recommended for blacklisting over poor supervision, aiding and abetting, lateness, assault and unruly conduct. They include three supervisors in Rivers State, one in Niger, three in the FCT, one in Kano and one in Osun.

The registrar further highlighted a disruption in Lamorde Local Government, Adamawa State, where a communal clash affected examinations in eight schools between July 7 and 25, leading to the cancellation of 29 papers in 13 subjects. He said discussions were ongoing with the state government to reschedule the affected exams.

Wushishi stressed that the council remained committed to protecting the integrity of its examinations. “We will not hesitate to sanction any school or official found culpable in malpractice or negligence,” he warned.

Despite the malpractice cases, NECO reported improved performance. Out of 1,367,210 registered candidates, 1,358,339 sat for the examination. Of this number, 818,492 candidates (60.26 per cent) obtained five credits and above, including English and Mathematics. A larger pool of 1,144,496 candidates (84.26 per cent) had five credits and above, irrespective of the two core subjects.

He said 1,622 candidates with special needs also sat for the exams, including 941 with hearing impairment and 191 with visual impairment.

In state-by-state performance, Kano topped the chart with 68,159 candidates (5.02 per cent) scoring five credits and above, including English and Mathematics, followed by Lagos with 67,007 (4.93 per cent) and Oyo with 48,742. At the other extreme, Gabon, one of the foreign centres, recorded no candidate with five credits and above, including English and Mathematics.

Looking ahead, Wushishi said NECO would now conduct the SSCE in 38 subjects only, in line with the reviewed national curriculum, to simplify the process and shorten the waiting time for results.

He also assured that the council would continue to strengthen monitoring and transparency. “The reduction in malpractice cases this year is a testament to the seriousness with which we approached the conduct of the examination. We will continue to build on this progress,” he said.