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 (CB-WASSCE) for school candidates following allegations of widespread examination malpractice.
The seized results account for 8.59 per cent of the overall candidate population that took part in the annual diet.
However, official statistics indicate a marginal decline in malpractice cases compared to the 9.7 per cent recorded during the 2025 examination exercise.
The Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Dr Amos Dangut, made the disclosure during a press conference held in Lagos on Wednesday to announce the official release of the performance metrics.
Cell phone usage and invigilator complicity trigger sanctions
Dr Dangut revealed that the decision to seize the affected results stemmed from severe procedural violations, key among which were unauthorised mobile phone usage in test centres and coordinated cheating arrangements across several secondary schools.
“The increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, in spite of the existing ban, and organised cheating in some schools, are other nagging issues,” Dangut stated.
He further disclosed that law enforcement agents had apprehended several invigilators and supervisors found aiding candidates in cheating schemes. The compromised officials will face formal disciplinary measures through their respective state ministries of education.
Performance metrics show slight drop in core pass rates
A breakdown of the registration logs shows that 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 secondary schools registered across Nigeria, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, and Equatorial Guinea, with 1,950,726 candidates sitting for the papers.
Core Pass Rate (5 Credits incl. English & Maths): 1,200,514 candidates (61.54 per cent) achieved the benchmark. This reflects a 1.42 percentage point decrease compared to the performance recorded in 2025.
General Pass Rate (5 Credits with/without English & Maths): 1,687,378 candidates (86.50 per cent) earned five credits across subjects.
Gender Demographics (Core Pass): Of the 1.2 million candidates with credits in English and Mathematics, 641,631 (32.89 per cent) were female, while 558,883 (28.65 per cent) were male.
Overall candidate participation comprised 997,267 females (51.12 per cent) and 953,459 males (48.88 per cent).
WAEC confirmed that 1,834,695 candidates (94.05 per cent) have had their results fully processed and released, while 116,031 candidates (5.95 per cent) have their results pending final processing.
Special needs participation and state debt warnings
The examination body highlighted that 1,213 candidates with special needs took part in the assessment. The breakdown includes 491 hearing-impaired candidates, 137 visually impaired candidates, 55 spastic and mentally challenged candidates, and 41 physically challenged students.
Marking the second cycle of the computer-based format for school candidates, the 2026 exercise incorporated new technological features such as the Digital Examiner Mark System, serialised question papers, and an e-PIN portal for result verification.
Concluding what he noted was his final briefing as National Office Head, Dr. Dangut warned that candidates sponsored by state governments owing outstanding registration fees will not gain access to their results until all financial debts are cleared.
Read Also: ‘WAEC caused mass failure in English by holding exam at night’- Mother
