The West African Examinations Council has debunked a viral social media document claiming that the results of candidates from 50 secondary schools in the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) were withheld over alleged examination malpractice.
In a statement shared on its official X account on Wednesday, the examination body described the circulating letter as fake and urged the public to ignore it.
“FAKE NEWS ALERT: Please disregard the message below. It did not originate from WAEC,” the council stated.
The forged letter, dated August 2, 2026, was purportedly addressed to principals of public and private secondary schools across the country.
It falsely claimed that the results of candidates from 50 schools had been withheld over examination malpractice and instructed the affected schools to submit reports within 14 days or face additional sanctions.
The document also listed schools from different states, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, and was falsely signed in the name of the Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut. It also carried what appeared to be the council’s official letterhead and stamps.
To dispel the misinformation, WAEC released a copy of the forged letter with a bold red “FAKE” inscription across it.
The clarification followed the council’s announcement of the release of the 2026 Computer-Based WASSCE results for school candidates.
WAEC had earlier disclosed that it withheld the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 per cent of the 1,950,726 candidates who sat for the examination, over allegations of examination malpractice.
According to the council, the withheld results were linked to offences including the use of mobile phones in examination halls despite existing restrictions and organised cheating in some schools.
WAEC also disclosed that some supervisors and invigilators accused of aiding examination malpractice had been arrested and would face disciplinary measures through the appropriate state ministries of education.
