Four candidates, including a set of twins, have been apprehended for engaging in examination malpractice during the ongoing 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), following a monitoring exercise by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
The incidents occurred on Wednesday during the Integrated Science paper at selected examination centres, where WAEC officials uncovered separate cases of collusion among candidates.
According to an official who participated in the monitoring exercise, the first case involved the twins, who were caught exchanging answer booklets in what appeared to be a coordinated attempt to outwit invigilators.
“There were four students. Two of them were twins, and they exchanged their answer booklets. And one was writing for the other,” the official explained.
In a separate incident, another pair of candidates was found in possession of question papers that already contained pre-written answers, raising further concerns about the extent of malpractice during this year’s examination.
“And then the other pair, they have exchanged their question papers, and in their question papers they’ve written solutions to some of the questions in them,” the official added.
WAEC has described the preliminary findings as clear violations of examination regulations and has initiated further investigations into the cases.
Authorities say sanctions will be imposed if the candidates are found culpable, with the likely penalty being the cancellation of their Integrated Science results.
“We will take it up and do further investigations. If they are found culpable, their subjects will be cancelled,” the official said.
The latest development adds to a growing list of malpractice cases recorded during this year’s BECE. Earlier in the week, seven individuals were reportedly arrested in connection with similar offences.
The 2026 BECE, which began earlier this week, is being conducted across more than 2,000 centres nationwide, amid heightened scrutiny by WAEC and other stakeholders determined to safeguard the integrity of the examination process.
