The West African Examinations Council has condemned the extortion of candidates sitting the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, warning that schools and officials found culpable will face sanctions including derecognition, blacklisting, prosecution and referral to relevant authorities for disciplinary action.

Moyosola Adesina, the Council's Head of Public Affairs, disclosed in a statement on Monday that WAEC had received alarming reports of supervisors and some schools demanding payments from candidates and parents under various pretexts, including charges for transportation of examination scripts, welfare packages and unauthorised "cooperation" fees.

Adesina further revealed that some schools had been charging candidates for KAPEK calculators already provided free of charge by the Council, describing such practices as "illegal, unethical, and a direct threat to the integrity of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination."

The Council directed all school proprietors, principals, supervisors and invigilators to stop all forms of unauthorised collection of money from candidates or parents, stating that "no collection of money from candidates or parents for any examination official" would be tolerated.

Candidates and parents were urged to report any extortion attempt to the appropriate zonal coordinator or branch controller, or through WAEC's designated official communication channels. Adesina also warned against the harassment or intimidation of candidates in any form.

The 2026 WASSCE, which commenced on 21st April with practical papers and is scheduled to conclude on 19th June, recorded a total enrolment of 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools, according to Amos Dangut, Head of the Council's national office in Nigeria. Dangut noted that 1,001,072 candidates, representing 51.08 percent of the total enrolment, are female, while 958,564 candidates, representing 48.92 percent, are male.

WAEC reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the credibility of its assessments and protecting students, adding that efforts remain ongoing to strengthen logistics and prevent future disruptions. The Council acknowledged that the ongoing WASSCE had faced operational challenges, with some papers delayed due to logistical issues and a fatal accident involving its officials.