ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is strengthening identity verification for candidates ahead of the 2027 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), with facial/image capture and biometric authentication remaining central to the registration process.

Prospective 2027 UTME candidates are already seeing preparations for the next examination cycle, as JAMB has published a list of 2027 approved registration centres on its official Centre Management System.

The development has renewed attention on JAMB’s use of facial and biometric technologies to establish the identity of candidates and tackle impersonation and examination malpractice.

Facial capturing: What exactly is changing?

Candidates should note that facial or image capturing is not completely new to JAMB.

The Board’s existing registration guidelines require a candidate’s photograph and all 10 fingerprints to be captured at an accredited CBT centre. JAMB also requires biometric authentication before a candidate’s registration slip is printed.

JAMB’s 2026 training manual went further by requiring participating CBT centres to use approved live cameras to capture a second image of candidates during registration.

According to the manual, the live-camera requirement was introduced to minimise manipulation of candidates’ photographs detected during previous registration exercises.

Therefore, reports describing the 2027 exercise as the year JAMB is “introducing facial capturing” should be understood in the context of an existing biometric and live-image verification system that the Board continues to strengthen.

Why is JAMB tightening facial and biometric verification?

The major objective is to prevent impersonation and substitution of candidates during examinations.

JAMB has previously warned that capturing fresh facial and fingerprint biometrics at later stages can create opportunities for substitution of candidates and examination takers.

In its policy document on curbing examination malpractice, the Board stated that fresh facial and fingerprint images could facilitate impersonation and substitution of paid examination takers. It also said it would make candidates’ images and biometric information available to relevant educational assessment bodies.

The implication is that JAMB wants the identity established during registration to remain linked to the candidate throughout the examination and admission process.

5 things 2027 UTME candidates should know

1. Your face and fingerprints matter

Candidates should expect identity verification to remain an important part of registration and examination.

JAMB’s current procedure requires photograph capture and the capture of all 10 fingerprints at accredited CBT centres.

2. Candidates must personally complete registration

Candidates should not hand over their registration process entirely to agents.

JAMB requires candidates to personally present their Profile Code and e-PIN at an accredited CBT centre for registration.

3. Check your information before biometric authentication

Candidates are advised to carefully check their names, date of birth, gender, course and institution choices and other details before confirming the registration with their fingerprint.

JAMB states that biometric authentication is used to confirm the validity of the candidate’s fingerprint and finalise the registration.

4. Use only approved CBT centres

JAMB has already published its 2027 approved registration centres, signalling that preparations for the next registration cycle are underway.

Candidates should avoid unofficial agents or centres claiming to offer special facial-capture services outside JAMB’s approved registration process.

5. Do not pay for a separate “facial capture” exercise based on social-media claims

As of August 31, 2026, JAMB’s publicly available official materials do not establish a separate compulsory payment or standalone exercise described as a newly introduced “2027 facial capture.”

What the official documents establish is an existing system involving candidate photographs, live image capture and fingerprint biometrics, which JAMB continues to strengthen as part of its anti-malpractice measures.

What candidates should do now

Prospective 2027 UTME candidates should:

• Obtain and safeguard their NIN details.
• Use only their genuine identity information.
• Avoid multiple registration.
• Ensure their photograph is properly captured.
• Ensure all 10 fingerprints are captured correctly.
• Carefully verify their registration details before biometric authentication.
• Register only at JAMB-approved CBT centres.
• Follow JAMB’s official announcements rather than unverified WhatsApp, Facebook or TikTok messages.

JAMB’s official FAQ also provides procedures for candidates whose fingerprints cannot be read. Such candidates with biometric abnormalities are handled under a special arrangement by the Board.

Bottom line

The major message for 2027 UTME candidates is simple: identity verification is becoming increasingly difficult to bypass.

While facial/image capture is not entirely new to JAMB, the Board’s continued deployment of live cameras, fingerprint authentication and biometric tracking shows a clear move towards tighter candidate identification.

Candidates preparing for the 2027 UTME should therefore ensure that the identity they use during registration is accurate and genuinely theirs because their photograph, face and fingerprints are increasingly becoming part of the digital identity trail used to authenticate them.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Fresh documents and intelligence reports have triggered renewed calls for the immediate suspension of the Managing Director of Chinua Achebe International Cargo Airport (CAIA), Umueri, Mr. Martins Emeka Nwafor, pending an independent investigation into alleged irregularities in the management of revenues generated by the airport.

The documents, reportedly dated April 19, 2026, and August 25, 2026, contain allegations that revenues generated from airport services, including the CAICA VIP Lounge and cargo operations, may have been paid into private accounts rather than the officially designated revenue account of the Anambra International Cargo/Passenger Airport.

According to the reports cited by the African Writers Centre, proceeds allegedly generated from the airport’s VIP Lounge were paid into accounts bearing private names, while another report raised similar concerns over revenues associated with cargo movement through an airline operating at the facility.

The organisation stressed that the allegations remain subject to verification and called on the Anambra State Government and relevant investigative authorities to independently establish the authenticity of the documents and trace the movement of the funds in question.

It urged the state government to conduct a comprehensive forensic audit covering all revenue generated from the VIP Lounge, cargo handling and related charges, passenger and commercial services, as well as official and third-party accounts allegedly used in airport transactions.

The proposed investigation, according to the statement, should also examine bank statements, reconciliation records, payment instructions, maintenance expenditure, contracts, procurement records and the relationship between revenues generated at the airport and funds ultimately remitted into government-approved accounts.

The African Writers Centre further called for investigators to determine whether any private account had been formally authorised to collect revenue on behalf of the airport and, if such authorisation existed, identify who granted it, the financial framework under which it operated and the accountability mechanisms attached to it.

The group also appealed to Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, to intervene, arguing that the allegations had become a matter of public interest because the airport is a strategic public asset established with public resources.

It specifically called for Nwafor to step aside or be suspended from duties directly connected to the investigation to protect relevant records, personnel and evidence from possible interference.

According to the statement, such a step should not be interpreted as a declaration of guilt, but as a measure to facilitate an impartial investigation.

The organisation also said Nwafor should be given an opportunity to formally respond to the allegations and provide documentary explanations for any transactions identified in the reports.

The statement further expressed concern over what it described as declining operational standards at the airport, citing complaints relating to infrastructure, flight fares, maintenance, safety and security, as well as the general environment at the facility.

It argued that the concerns extend beyond alleged poor performance to questions surrounding transparency and public accountability.

“An airport can survive a broken generator. It cannot survive a broken system of accountability,” the statement said.

The African Writers Centre therefore urged the Anambra State Government to order an immediate investigation, open the airport’s financial records for scrutiny, reconcile all accounts used for revenue collection and take appropriate action if financial regulations or public trust were found to have been breached.

It said the ultimate objective should be to restore public confidence in the airport and ensure that the facility operates efficiently and delivers the economic benefits for which it was established.

The group concluded with a call for Nwafor to step aside, the preservation of evidence, a comprehensive audit and an impartial investigation, stressing that anyone found culpable should face the consequences prescribed by law.

The allegations contained in the reports have not been independently established, and any conclusions regarding wrongdoing should await the outcome of a competent investigation.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The Plateau Vanguard for Democracy has declared its support for Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s directive stopping the activities of a purported Hisbah enforcement group operating in parts of Jos North Local Government Area.

In a statement issued by its National Coordinator, Chris Ishaku, the group said no private organisation had the constitutional authority to intimidate residents, enforce unauthorised rules or impose sanctions outside Nigeria’s established legal system.

The directive followed reports that persons associated with the group had allegedly harassed, intimidated and extorted residents while attempting to compel them to comply with rules not recognised by Plateau State law.

Ishaku described the governor’s intervention as a necessary defence of public order, individual liberty and the equal protection of all residents, irrespective of their religious, ethnic or community affiliations.

“Plateau State belongs equally to all its citizens. No private organisation may appoint itself a police force, court or government and impose sanctions unknown to the Constitution and laws of the state,” he said.

He stressed that support for the directive should not be interpreted as opposition to any religion or community, but as an affirmation that Plateau State has one Constitution, one legal system and one legitimate authority.

The organisation urged religious, traditional, political and community leaders to discourage their followers from participating in unlawful enforcement activities. It advised residents with complaints about the conduct of others to report such matters to the police or other legally constituted agencies.

Ishaku also welcomed the governor’s instruction directing security agencies to identify and investigate those allegedly involved.

He nevertheless called on the agencies to act professionally, respect due process and avoid subjecting innocent residents to collective suspicion.

“Anyone found sponsoring, aiding or carrying out unlawful acts should be prosecuted, while innocent residents must be protected,” he said.

“Peace cannot survive where competing groups create competing laws. Plateau’s diversity must be governed by justice, tolerance and one constitutional order.”

The allegations against the purported group have not been independently established, and no response from its alleged members was included in the statement.