WAEC arrests over 20 exam officials for malpractice

The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has arrested 20 school officials for allegedly aiding malpractice in its ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates.

The Head of WAEC National Office, Mr. Patrick Areghan, disclosed this on the sidelines of a monitoring exercise in schools across Lagos on Thursday.

He added that the council had since handed over the culprits arrested in different parts of the country to the police for prosecution.

Areghan vowed that the council would follow the culprits’ prosecution to a logical conclusion.

He said: “The issue of examination malpractice can no longer be treated with kid gloves.

“It is no longer business as usual, as it has completely eroded morals and values in our society. It is taking a dangerous dimension, which, if not tackled will bring our country to its knees.

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“Now, since the commencement of this examination, we have deployed our technology, designed to catch examination cheats and we are happy with the results we have gotten so far.

“For instance, in Ibadan, Oyo, where we have our zonal office, which takes care of Osun, Kwara, and Oyo itself, we made three arrests in a school and for the purpose of confidentiality, I will not mention the name.

“There, a supervisor at a centre, principal, and invigilator were all arrested. They were arrested for allegedly snapping and posting the questions to some platforms, thereby, aiding and abetting examination malpractices.

“Then, in Maiduguri, a supervisor and principal of a school were both arrested and handed over to the police too.

“In Umuahia, a teacher and a supervisor were arrested in a particular school and they have been handed over to the police.

“In Abeokuta, a school proprietor was the first to be caught at the beginning of this examination on May 8, snapping and posting question papers.”

The WAEC chief described the act as a monumental disgrace.

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