The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has discovered 9,469 illegal admissions conducted by 20 tertiary institutions across Nigeria for the 2024 academic session.
The board revealed that these admissions were not processed through its Central Admission Processing System (CAPS), the official platform designed to manage and monitor the admission process in a fair and transparent manner.
CAPS was created to make admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions more transparent and to ensure that applicants are considered based on merit and institutional requirements. The system allows candidates to monitor their admission status and reduces cases of manipulation.
According to JAMB’s records, Kano State University of Science and Technology recorded the highest number of unauthorised entries with 2,215 illegal admissions. Ladoke Akintola University of Technology followed with 1,215 unauthorised admissions, while Gombe State University had 1,164 and Emmanuel Alayande University of Education recorded 761.
The other institutions found to have conducted illegal admissions include the Federal University of Technology, Owerri; Ambrose Alli University; Igbinedion University; Akwa-Ibom Polytechnic; College of Nursing, National Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi; Achievers University; Nigeria Police Academy; Abia State Polytechnic; Osun State University; Federal University, Lafia; Niger State Polytechnic; Federal Polytechnic, Idah; Edo State Polytechnic; Anchor University; Michael and Cecilia Ibru University; and the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology.
JAMB has consistently warned that any admission processed outside CAPS is considered illegal and void. The board emphasized that candidates who accept such offers risk being disqualified from participating in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), which requires proper documentation of legitimate tertiary education credentials.
The discovery highlights ongoing challenges in Nigeria’s education system, where some institutions attempt to circumvent official admission processes. The breach of CAPS protocols undermines the transparency and merit-based system that JAMB has established to ensure fairness in tertiary education admissions.
This development is expected to prompt further scrutiny of admission processes across Nigerian tertiary institutions, as JAMB continues its efforts to maintain the integrity of the country’s higher education system.
