The West African Examinations Council WAEC has withheld the results of 167,486 candidates who sat for the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination WASSCE for school candidates over examination malpractice. The affected results represent 8.59 per cent of the total candidates who wrote the examination, a slight improvement from the 9.7 per cent recorded in 2025.

Announcing the release of the 2026 WASSCE results in Lagos today, the Head of WAEC's National Office, Amos Dangut, attributed the withheld results to offences including the use of mobile phones in examination halls and organised cheating in some schools. He also disclosed that some supervisors and invigilators caught aiding examination malpractice had been arrested and would face disciplinary action through the appropriate state Ministries of Education.

According to WAEC, 1,959,668 candidates registered for the examination across Nigeria, Benin Republic, Côte d'Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea, while 1,950,726 candidates eventually sat for the examination.

Of those who wrote the examination, 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 per cent, obtained credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. Meanwhile, 1,687,378 candidates, or 86.50 per cent, earned credits in a minimum of five subjects, with or without English Language and Mathematics. The council further revealed that 1,834,695 candidates had their results fully processed and released, while the results of 116,031 candidates are still being processed.

— PUNCH