Aug 5, 2026

WAEC Debunks Viral Fake List of Schools With Withheld 2026 Results

By Afolabi Olaiya Idowu in news

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LAGOS, Nigeria — The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has issued a strong fake news alert, urging the public to completely disregard a circulating letter that claims to list dozens of schools whose 2026 WASSCE results were withheld due to alleged examination malpractice.

In a post on its official X account on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, WAEC displayed the disputed document clearly stamped “FAKE” and stated: “FAKE NEWS ALERT: Please disregard the message below. It did not originate from WAEC.”

The forged notice, dated August 2, 2026, and purporting to come from the Head of the Nigeria Office, Dr Amos Dangut, listed about 50 schools across the country.

It claimed their candidates’ results had been withheld and directed school heads to submit detailed reports within 14 days or face further sanctions.

The alert comes on the same day WAEC officially released the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results for school candidates.

According to Dr Amos Dangerous, Head of the WAEC Nigeria National Office, the results of 167,486 candidates — representing 8.59 per cent of those who sat the exam — were withheld over various forms of examination malpractice.

This figure marks a slight improvement from the 9.7 per cent recorded in 2025. Dangut cited the persistent use of mobile phones in examination halls despite a ban, as well as organised cheating in some schools, as major challenges.

He noted that some supervisors and invigilators found aiding malpractice had been arrested and would face disciplinary action through state ministries of education.

A total of 1,950,726 candidates sat the examination out of 1,959,668 who registered from 24,207 schools across Nigeria and neighbouring countries.

Of those who wrote the exams, 1,200,514 candidates (61.54 per cent) obtained credits and above in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. WAEC has repeatedly warned against circulating unverified documents, especially those that name specific schools or demand that centres submit candidates’ scripts — a practice the council says it never requests.

Similar fake notices have appeared in previous years, causing unnecessary panic among students, parents, and school administrators.

The examination body emphasised that all official information is released only through its verified channels, including its website and official social media handles.

Candidates are advised to check their results directly via the official portal after generating their PIN.

As results continue to be processed and the investigation into malpractice cases proceeds, WAEC’s message remains clear: rely only on official sources and ignore viral documents that sow confusion and fear.