The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has launched an investigation into the leak of examination papers during the ongoing 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), following widespread outrage over candidates sitting exams late into the night in several states.

It was gathered that some WAEC officials may be complicit in the leak, which saw the English Language paper circulate on social media platforms four days before its scheduled date. The Nigeria Police have reportedly opened a parallel probe.

The leak forced the examination body to withdraw the original papers and reprint new sets— a development that led to delays and forced some students to write the exam under torchlight and lanterns in centres across Lagos, Ogun, Osun, and Taraba states.

Viral photos and videos posted online showed students taking the exam as late as midnight, amid nationwide power outages.

In a statement released Thursday, WAEC’s Acting Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, confirmed the disruption and attributed the delay to urgent efforts to curb exam malpractice.

“The council was compelled to take emergency measures to protect the integrity of the examination,” Adesina said. “Unfortunately, these measures inadvertently affected the timeliness and seamless conduct of the English Language paper.”

According to WAEC, over 1.97 million candidates registered for the 2025 WASSCE across 23,554 schools in Nigeria.

Credible sources within WAEC told newsmen that the leak was first discovered when a concerned Nigerian alerted the council about early access to the English Language paper. At the time, the papers were already printed and en route for distribution.

In response, WAEC halted distribution and ordered an urgent reprint. “The entire team was under intense pressure,” one source said. “Some staff worked 48 hours non-stop. In Ikorodu, for instance, officers travelled to printing presses to help pack and code papers.”

Investigations have since revealed that rogue “exam run” syndicates made millions from the leak. “One Telegram platform had over 80,000 subscribers,” a WAEC insider said. “They charged N1,000 per candidate. Even if only 50,000 paid, that’s N50 million.”

Several such platforms were identified, including Free WAEC Exam Infos, King of Exams Runs, and Nigeria School Exams, with leaked questions also sighted for Physics, Literature-in-English, and Geography. Users paid between N1,500 and N5,000 to access the materials.

A message posted on May 24 read:
“English and Mathematics N1,500 compulsory. Dropping at midnight with full essay and objectives. Only VIPs will be lucky.”

A school administrator who spoke anonymously accused senior WAEC officials of selling the papers. “The English questions—summary, comprehension, essay—were already out by Saturday and Sunday, even though the exam was on Wednesday,” he alleged.

He described the situation as a result of “greedy officials who put money above the future of children.”

Outraged parents under the National Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) have demanded a cancellation of the English Language paper, citing the traumatic conditions under which their children sat the exam.

NAPTAN’s National Publicity Secretary, Ademola Ekundayo, said the delay caused confusion, stress, and possible academic disadvantage. “WAEC should not punish innocent students for its internal failures,” he said.

Ajayi Ademola, a parent in Osogbo, Osun State, recounted his anxiety when his daughter, Idowu, failed to return home on time. “She left for an exam scheduled for 2 p.m. and didn’t get home until past 11 p.m. How could she even revise for the next paper?” he asked.

Dele Ajewole, whose daughter wrote her exam in Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo, said many students began the paper after 7:30 p.m. “Everyone was rushing because it was already late. The likelihood of mass failure is high,” he noted.

Another parent, Mrs. Ngozi Akasike, said she was distressed when her daughter didn’t return home by 7 p.m. “I became apprehensive. I later found out she was still in the exam hall writing English by 7:23 p.m.”

Olamide Adefowope, a candidate, decried the impact of the delay on honest students. “The leaked papers gave others an unfair edge. By night, we were too tired to focus. Our brains were hot. It was very unfair,” she said.

Another candidate, Fatima Yusuf, called for an outright cancellation. “The situation was demoralising. If nothing is done, people will lose confidence in WAEC,” she said.

The controversy has reignited calls for the adoption of Computer-Based Testing (CBT) in senior secondary school exams.

National President of the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPPS), Mallam Musa Ibrahim, said a transition to CBT would dismantle the operations of “miracle centres” and rogue websites. “Just like JAMB, going paperless will put them out of business,” he said.

Yomi Otubela, President of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), called for a fact-finding committee. “Let’s verify all claims first. If the extent of the damage is as described, a re-sit may be necessary,” he noted.

Dr. Olusola Thomas, a senior lecturer in Educational Management at the University of Lagos, urged WAEC to revisit the English paper.

“The emotional toll on the students and the compromised integrity of the process should not be ignored. We need a clear understanding of how many schools were affected and how deep this went,” she said.