The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has arrested seven individuals, including invigilators and teachers, for their alleged involvement in examination malpractice during the ongoing 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

The arrests, confirmed by WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, were made across three regions; Central, Bono, and Ashanti, as authorities intensify efforts to curb cheating in the nationwide exams.

According to Mr. Kapi, three suspects were apprehended in the Central Region, two in the Bono Region, and two in the Ashanti Region. Five of the individuals were reportedly caught with mobile phones in examination halls, which were allegedly used to capture images of examination questions and circulate them via the messaging platform WhatsApp.

He further revealed that some suspects allegedly used ChatGPT to generate answers, which were then dictated to candidates during the exams.

The remaining two suspects, although not found with mobile devices, were also implicated in the scheme. One was reportedly caught distributing pre-prepared answers to candidates, while the other was arrested for allegedly duplicating answer sheets intended for circulation.

WAEC indicated that all seven suspects have been handed over to the police for further investigations and possible prosecution.

Expressing concern over the trend, Mr. Kapi suggested that financial motivations may be driving the malpractice despite repeated warnings from authorities.

“I think they are enticed by monetary considerations; otherwise, I wouldn’t understand why anybody would want to do this even after all the warnings,” he said.

The Council has reiterated its caution to candidates, invigilators, and the public, stressing that involvement in examination malpractice could lead to severe sanctions, including prosecution and cancellation of results.

The 2026 BECE, which began on May 4, is being written by over 620,000 candidates nationwide and is scheduled to end on May 11.