The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has withheld the results of 167,486 candidates who sat for the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) over alleged involvement in examination malpractice.
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The affected results represent 8.59 per cent of the 1,950,726 candidates who wrote the examination, marking a slight improvement from the 9.70 per cent recorded in 2025.
Announcing the release of the 2026 WASSCE results in Lagos, the Head of the WAEC National Office, Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut, said the Council remains committed to protecting the integrity of its examinations despite persistent cases of malpractice.
According to him, the widespread use of mobile phones in examination halls and organised cheating involving some schools remain major concerns for the examination body.
He warned that WAEC would continue to sanction candidates, schools, supervisors and teachers found guilty of violating examination regulations, stressing that such practices undermine the credibility of Nigeria’s education-reform/">education system.
Dr. Dangut also disclosed that some supervisors and invigilators allegedly involved in aiding malpractice had been identified and would face disciplinary action through their respective State Ministries of Education.
Candidates whose results have been withheld have been advised to submit appeals through WAEC’s official complaints platform while investigations into the reported malpractice cases continue. The Council said the outcome of the investigations would determine whether the affected results would eventually be released or cancelled.
Despite the withheld results, WAEC reported that the overall performance of candidates remained encouraging. A total of 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 per cent, obtained credits in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, the minimum requirement for admission into most tertiary institutions in Nigeria. However, this represents a slight decline from the 62.96 per cent recorded in 2025.
The Council added that 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 per cent, have had their results fully processed and released, while the processing of some other results is still ongoing.
WAEC reaffirmed its commitment to conducting credible examinations and urged candidates, schools and other stakeholders to uphold ethical standards in future examinations to preserve the integrity of the assessment system.
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