The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has withheld the results of 167,486 candidates over suspected examination malpractice following the conduct of the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates.
The figure accounts for 8.59 per cent of the total sit-in population, reflecting a slight improvement from the 9.7 per cent malpractice rate recorded in 2025.
Dr Amos Dangut, Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, announced the development during a press briefing in Lagos on Wednesday. He revealed that the council seized the affected scripts due to widespread misconduct, notably the unauthorized bringing of mobile phones into examination centres and systematic cheating across certain institutions.
“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 said.
He further confirmed that complicit invigilators and supervisors have been apprehended and will face sanctions administered by state education ministries.
Of the 1,950,726 candidates who sat the examination, drawn from a registered pool of 1,959,668 across Nigeria, the Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, and Equatorial Guinea, a total of 1,200,514 candidates (61.54 per cent) achieved credits or above in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. This represents a 1.42 percentage point decline compared to the performance levels of 2025.
Additionally, 1,687,378 candidates (86.50 per cent) earned five credits with or without the core subjects of English and Mathematics.
Female candidates outperformed their male counterparts among those securing the key English and Mathematics benchmark, comprising 641,631 (32.89 per cent) compared to 558,883 males (28.65 per cent). Total participation comprised 997,267 females (51.12 per cent) and 953,459 males (48.88 per cent).
WAEC confirmed that 1,834,695 results (94.05 per cent) have been fully processed and released, while 116,031 results (5.95 per cent) remain in processing. The council also accommodated 1,213 candidates with special needs, comprising 491 hearing-impaired, 137 visually impaired, 55 spastic and mentally challenged, and 41 physically challenged students.
The 2026 diet represents the second iteration of the computer-based testing format for school candidates. Concluding what he noted was his third and final address as National Office Head, Dangut issued a stern reminder regarding state government debts, affirming that candidates sponsored by indebted state governments will have their results withheld until all outstanding liabilities are fully settled.