No fewer than three principals and 17 school officials, allegedly aiding and abetting examination malpractice, have been arrested by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) in its ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates.

The Head, National Office (HNO) of WAEC, Patrick Areghan, who disclosed this on the sidelines of a monitoring exercise he carried out in some schools in Lagos on Thursday, June 8, the arrests were made in various parts of the country.

Areghan said WAEC has since handed over all the culprits to the police for prosecution, adding that the council would do everything possible to ensure that their prosecution was followed to 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, of which, if not tackled will bring our country to its knees.

“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.

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“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.”

Areghan described the act as a monumental disgrace, adding that the proprietor and the supervisor had since handed over to the police.

He further disclosed that the same situation was also recorded in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, where a principal, invigilator, and chief supervisor were arrested for the same offence.

“In Kaduna too, a supervisor and an examination official in a school who were caught in the act, were arrested and handed over to the police,” the WAEC official added.

He explained that the school, which was ceded to Kaduna was supposed to be Kano, but was ceded because it was closer to Kaduna.

Areghan said the arrests would continue until the end of the examination.

He, however, urged candidates not to allow their future to be compromised by persons who did not wish them well, by promising to assist them pass their examination through illegal means, stressing that WAEC examinations could never be accessed illegally.

The Star