The NBA, in a statement released on Saturday, described the conduct of the exams as a violation of students’ rights and demanded accountability.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has urged the National Assembly to launch a thorough investigation into the alarming lapses observed during the recent examinations conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
The NBA, in a statement released on Saturday, described the conduct of the exams as a violation of students’ rights and demanded accountability.
The statement, signed by NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe and General Secretary, Dr. Mobolaji Ojibara, expressed outrage over the technical glitches, security breaches, and inhumane examination conditions that have plagued Nigeria’s major examination bodies in recent weeks.
“The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) recently released the results of the examinations it conducted for students seeking admission into higher institutions in Nigeria for tertiary education,” the NBA noted.
“There were complaints from many of the students and their parents about the scores given them by JAMB.”
The situation took a tragic turn with the reported suicide of 19-year-old Miss Timilehin Faith Opesusi, a resident of Lagos originally from Abeokuta, Ogun State, who allegedly took her life after receiving a low score in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The incident has intensified public scrutiny and raised urgent questions about the integrity and reliability of JAMB’s systems.
In a press briefing, JAMB Registrar Professor Ishaq Oloyede had confirmed that the examination body’s computer systems had been compromised by hackers.
He revealed that as a result, the results of 379,997 candidates who sat for the 2025 UTME across 157 centres in Lagos and the South East were cancelled.
WAEC, meanwhile, is currently administering its West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), but the NBA described its conduct as “shocking” and “disrespectful to the rights of students.”
“Apparently, for the first time in Nigeria, reports from several examination halls in the various States indicated that students were forced to write examinations in the night and in some other cases up to 9pm with the aid of candles and torchlight of phones, for those that could afford them,” the NBA stated.
The English Language Paper 2 & 3, initially scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on May 28, did not begin until 7pm, causing distress and fatigue among students.
The late-night sessions raised serious safety and logistical concerns, especially in areas with inadequate lighting and security.
A particularly harrowing incident occurred two days ago at Government Secondary School, Namnai in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State, where a classroom building collapsed around 6pm, while students were still writing their exams.
The NBA said, “They only narrowly escaped death. Students, teachers and invigilators were trapped in the rubble and it took the effort of members of the local community to rescue them. The injured amongst them were taken to the hospital.”
Calling the situation a “new trend of impunity,” the NBA warned that educational institutions that should be pillars of progress are instead becoming sources of trauma and danger for young Nigerians.
“It is very concerning that a new trend of impunity is now emerging from institutions that ought to be leading the way for a better Nigeria,” the association said.
It added, “The right to education is a constitutional right and more importantly, the right to treat Nigerian students with dignity and respect is a guaranteed fundamental right every student owns by being a Nigerian.
“The conduct of examinations under shambolic and inclement conditions is unacceptable as it will affect the students’ preparation for the examinations.
“No sane human being should be compelled to sit for an examination that was advertised to be conducted in the daytime but ended up being done in the night, well outside the time published by the examination body.”
The NBA noted that any examination conducted under such conditions is “already compromised” and violates sections 34 and 39 of the Nigerian Constitution, which protect citizens’ dignity and their right to access knowledge and information.
It stated, “WAEC did not advertise that its examinations will be conducted in the night in halls where there would be no adequate facilities like power and security.
“The students never contracted with WAEC to sit for examinations in the night.
“Any examination conducted under such circumstances is already compromised and amounts to a breach of the students’ contractual rights and sections 34 and 39 of the Constitution guaranteeing their right to respect for the dignity of their persons and freedom to receive knowledge, ideas and information.”
The NBA therefore called on the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives to “urgently set up a joint Committee to investigate the circumstances that led to these unfortunate incidents occasioned by the two examination bodies and ensure that those persons responsible face the consequences of their actions.”
It warned, “The absence of consequences will only lead to a re-occurrence that may be worse.”
