The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has debunked a widely circulated document claiming that the results of candidates from 50 secondary schools in the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) were withheld because of examination malpractice.
The examination body described the document as fraudulent and advised the public not to rely on its contents.
In a statement posted on its official X account on Wednesday, WAEC stated that the letter did not originate from the council.
“FAKE NEWS ALERT: Please disregard the message below. It did not originate from WAEC,” the council said.
The forged letter, dated August 2, 2026, was presented as an official communication to principals of public and private secondary schools across Nigeria.
It falsely claimed that candidates from 50 schools had their WASSCE results withheld over alleged examination malpractice and instructed the affected institutions to submit comprehensive reports within 14 days or risk additional sanctions.
The document also contained a list of schools purportedly located across several states, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory.
To make the letter appear authentic, it carried what looked like WAEC’s official letterhead, stamps and the forged signature of the Head of the Nigeria National Office, Dr Amos Dangut.
WAEC countered the misinformation by publishing the fake letter with a bold red “FAKE” watermark across the image.
The council’s clarification followed the official release of the 2026 Computer-Based WASSCE results for school candidates earlier on Wednesday.
During the announcement, WAEC revealed that the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 per cent of the total 1,950,726 candidates who sat the examination, had been withheld over allegations of examination malpractice.
According to the council, the affected cases involved offences such as the use of mobile phones inside examination halls despite an existing prohibition, as well as coordinated cheating in some examination centres.
WAEC also disclosed that several supervisors and invigilators accused of assisting candidates in malpractice had been apprehended and would face disciplinary proceedings through the appropriate state ministries of education.
