By Ireti Asemota.
Labeling the tactic as deceitful and underhanded, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) denounced it as a calculated effort to sabotage the merit-driven admissions system built on openness, oversight, and equity.
The Board revealed that certain tertiary institutions are abusing their in-house platforms to coerce high-scoring applicants into surrendering earned spots, paving the way for favored candidates to climb the roster.
“Every admission step in Nigeria must occur exclusively via the JAMB CAPS portal,” JAMB stressed, declaring any program switch or admission tweak executed outside CAPS as illegal, immoral, and potentially damaging to the students involved.
In a Monday release signed by Public Communication Adviser Fabian Benjamin, JAMB warned that applicants who yield to such pressure and later alter their choices on CAPS will be treated as having acted willingly—and the Board will bear no liability for fallout.
Early probes have pinpointed one university in the South-West and another in Abuja as culprits. JAMB confirmed it has launched enforcement actions to halt the violations and protect applicants’ rights.
“Candidates must disregard any push to switch programs through school portals or back channels,” the statement cautioned.
JAMB restated its ironclad dedication to a fair, transparent, merit-first admissions framework for every eligible applicant in the 2025 cycle and future years.
