The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has noted that the recent flags of examination malpractices in its recently concluded Post-UTME are not associated with a technical glitch from its end. It explained that candidates were flagged as a result of clear violations of established examination guidelines.
The statement comes amid ongoing outbursts that the school’s system malfunction contributed to candidates getting wrongly notified of involvement in examination malpractices during the CBT. The action has generated public engagement, with education experts questioning the credibility of the school’s actions.
UNILAG, in a press statement on Wednesday, explained that the decision to flag erring candidates was guided by the use of monitoring tools to detect the cases. The institution noted that these candidates breached the rules of engagement, which warranted the cancellation of their screening exercise.
“The University categorically affirms that the notification of examination malpractice earlier issued in respect of the screening exercise was not ‘the result of a system or technical glitch’ as being insinuated in these emails and reports.”
“These detections followed the use of multiple monitoring mechanisms, including secure video surveillance, deployed to ensure the integrity of the screening process,” it said.
To further back its claims, UNILAG said a number of the anonymised screenshots may be publicly released to illustrate the breach of its violations. However, it noted that laws and data protection standards might prevent the university authority from releasing publicly uncensored videos.
Also Read: UTME 2025: How students manipulated the JAMB system to commit high-tech malpractices.
The UNILAG Post-UTME
The UNILAG Post-UTME exercise, which was held from September 1 to 4, 2025, recorded 20,464 candidates. Following the exercise, some candidates were emailed with notification of breaching the rules of examination conduct and having been involved in examination malpractices.
“For the avoidance of doubt, however, the University is in possession of verifiable evidence of infractions,” UNILAG said in a statement.
The University’s Post-UTME is an online aptitude test, typically lasting 30 minutes, consisting of 40 questions in English, Mathematics, and General Paper. Candidates are expected to take the CBT screening exercise in their state of residence.
To take the test, candidates need a reliable internet connection, a laptop with a quality built-in webcam and microphone. The test must also be taken in a quiet environment, as it is monitored and recorded.
In its rules of engagement, as contained in the University’s website, Candidates are not expected to cover the webcam, leave their position during the test, or have anyone sit beside or around them. Also, the webcam must not be covered at any point, and external cameras or HDMI displays are strictly prohibited.
Candidates are not expected to speak aloud or read the questions out during the test, while the use of a face cap, earpiece or headphone is prohibited. Any form of attempt, or breach of the examination conduct, leads to termination of the examination and disqualification.
In its explanation on Friday, UNILAG noted that some candidates violated the rules and engaged in various forms of malpractice.
“In line with the university’s zero-tolerance policy for examination malpractice, such candidates will, based on the outcome of our ongoing investigations and reviews, be rendered ineligible for admission,” the statement read.
Reactions
While the University was of the notion that candidates violated the code of the Post UTME screening exercise, there have been several public outcries against this action.
CEO of Educare, Alex Onyia, has since taken the matter in pursuit of public justice. According to him, the vendor used by both UNILAG and OAU for the exam monitoring (Web Test) has a major bug where some candidates were wrongly flagged for malpractices.
In addition, he noted that candidates were given low scores below their capability and known expectations, all contributed by a major bug in Web Test’s AI system.
“Several students were wrongly flagged as malpractice. And also, people were given very strange scores. How can someone who scored 360 in JAMB be scoring 20 in Post-UTME? The injustice on these youngsters is too much,” he said on Thursday via an X post.
In furtherance of his demand for justice, Alex Onyia has vowed to launch a legal action, with claims that a girl who was wrongly accused had committed suicide. Through a form he released to generate reports from affected candidates, over 700 students from both universities have lodged complaints of being affected by the technical glitch.
The development is the latest case of a system glitch in the CBT examination conducted surrounding the tertiary education admission process. Recall that both the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) 2025 and West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) 2025 recorded cases of technical glitches.