Students across several Nigerian states were reportedly held in examination halls until midnight during the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), following an alleged leak of the English Language paper.
The situation, which unfolded on Wednesday, May 28, affected candidates in Osun, Kwara, and other states, according to concerned parents who spoke out about the ordeal.
A parent from Offa, Kwara State, shared the troubling experience with reporters around 9:30 p.m., saying, “Some of the children in Offa are just returning home now. My son who is writing the examination in Osun State said he was told that he would be in the hall till midnight.”
When asked if security or temporary accommodation had been arranged for the students, she replied in distress: “There is nothing like that. I don’t know where my son will sleep.”
The delay reportedly followed a leaked exam question, which led to postponement instead of cancellation or rescheduling of the paper. Videos circulating on Facebook also show students taking the exam in the dark using torchlights, prompting widespread criticism online.
The Federal Ministry of Education has condemned the incident, describing the situation as “completely unacceptable.”
WAEC, which administers WASSCE across Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia, has yet to issue an official statement. When contacted by reporters, the Council’s spokesperson, Moyosola Adesina, initially declined to comment.
She said: “We are doing a press release to address this question. Please, can you just give us a moment?”
Pressed further, she responded anxiously: “I can’t say whether it’s true or not. Just let the press release come out. I don’t want to give an unofficial statement… Whatever we did was not a deliberate attempt. It was not intended to cause any problem or cause any harm. It was just to protect the integrity of our examinations.”
This development adds to recent controversies in Nigeria’s education system, including the JAMB examination glitch that forced over 336,000 students to resit the test. Tragically, that incident also saw a candidate take her own life in Lagos.
At least one student writing the current WASSCE has reportedly died, further heightening concerns over student welfare during national exams.
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