THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has uncovered no fewer than 9,460 illegal admissions across 20 tertiary institutions in Nigeria for the 2024 academic session, sparking concerns over widespread violations of the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).
According to official data obtained by News Point Nigeria, the admissions were conducted outside CAPS, JAMB’s centralized and regulated admissions platform, thereby rendering them illegal and void under existing education policy.
The breakdown of the illegal admissions reveals that the Aliko Dangote University, Kano is the highest offender, with 2,215 unapproved admissions. Trailing Dangote is Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) with 1,215, while Gombe State University recorded 1,164.
Other institutions cited by JAMB include:
Emmanuel Alayande University of Education – 761
Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) – 534
Ambrose Alli University (AAU) – 514
Igbinedion University – 365
Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic – 340
College of Nursing, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi – 281
Achievers University – 267
Nigeria Police Academy – 263
Abia State Polytechnic – 256
Osun State University (UNIOSUN) – 224
Federal University, Lafia – 189
Niger State Polytechnic – 182
Federal Polytechnic, Idah – 171
Edo State Polytechnic – 166
Anchor University – 133
Michael and Cecilia Ibru University – 116
Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology – 113
Introduced by JAMB in 2017, the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) was designed to restore transparency, efficiency, and fairness in Nigeria’s highly competitive tertiary admission process. CAPS ensures that: All prospective students are assessed on merit and institutional criteria, candidates can track their admission status in real-time, institutions process admissions with JAMB oversight and admitted students are eligible for the NYSC scheme.
Any admission conducted outside of this platform is not recognized by JAMB, and such students are ineligible for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), among other consequences.
Reacting to the development, the Federal Ministry of Education has issued a stern warning to defaulting institutions, emphasizing that no admission conducted outside CAPS will be tolerated.
Speaking at the 2025 JAMB Policy Meeting in Abuja last week, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, declared all such admissions illegal and vowed to hold all culpable parties accountable.
“Any admission conducted outside CAPS, regardless of its intentions, is illegal,” the Minister said.
“Both institutions and the candidates involved in such practices will be held accountable. Sanctions may include withdrawal of institutional assets and prosecution of culpable officers or governing council members.”
Officials of JAMB have repeatedly warned institutions against offering “backdoor admissions,” noting that the board has mechanisms in place to detect and flag non-CAPS admissions.
It has also maintained that students who accept such admissions do so at their own risk.
The board stated that it has forwarded details of the illegal admissions to the Ministry of Education for further investigation and possible sanctions.
Institutions found guilty may face: Withdrawal of accreditation for affected programs, fines and penalties, prosecution of school officials or council members and blacklisting from future admission cycles
JAMB also advised parents, guardians, and students to always verify admission status via CAPS before proceeding with registration at any institution. Candidates who were admitted outside the system risk being unable to graduate or participate in NYSC.
“CAPS is the only legal gateway to higher education admissions in Nigeria,” a JAMB official emphasized. “Anything outside CAPS is fraudulent.”