The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has dismissed a widely circulated list claiming that results from 120 schools were withheld in the recently released 2025 May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) due to alleged involvement in examination malpractice.
According to a report by Tribune Online, WAEC confirmed on Monday the official release of the 2025 WASSCE results, noting that only 38.32% of candidates obtained five credits including English Language and Mathematics. However, shortly after this announcement, a fake circular allegedly signed by one Dr. Florence Omobonike Ajayi, said to be WAEC’s Director of Examination Malpractice and Irregularities began circulating across WhatsApp groups.
The forged document listed 120 schools across Nigeria, with a heavy concentration in Lagos State, and claimed that the principals of the listed schools were to appear before an Investigative Panel by Friday, August 16, 2025, along with candidate scripts and other documents.
In a response to Tribune Online, WAEC strongly denied issuing such a list, clarifying that no school is ever required to present student answer scripts, as schools do not have access to those materials.
“The message did not come from us. WAEC would never instruct any school to bring candidates’ scripts to the office. How would they even get them? We don’t recognise schools by their names — only by their centre numbers,” the exam body stated.
