The West African Examinations Council has debunked a letter circulating on social media claiming that the results of candidates from 50 secondary schools in the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination were withheld over alleged examination malpractice.
The clarification followed the release of the 2026 Computer-Based WASSCE results for school candidates.
In a statement posted on its official X handle on Wednesday, the examination body described the document as fake and urged members of the public to disregard 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 and proprietors 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 directed the affected schools to submit reports within 14 days or risk further sanctions.
The fake document also carried the name of the Head of the Nigeria National Office of WAEC, Dr Amos Dangut, alongside what appeared to be the council’s official letterhead and stamps.
WAEC, however, dismissed the document as fraudulent, releasing a copy of the letter with a bold red “FAKE” inscription to caution the public against misinformation.
While announcing the results, WAEC 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 alleged involvement in examination malpractice.
The council attributed the withheld results to various infractions, including the use of mobile phones in examination halls and organised cheating in some schools.
WAEC also disclosed that some supervisors and invigilators allegedly involved in aiding examination malpractice had been apprehended and would face disciplinary measures through the appropriate state ministries of education.