The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has cancelled the entire results of 861 candidates after they were found in possession of mobile phones during the 2026 examinations.

WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, John Kapi, disclosed this in an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, September 7, 2026.

He explained that WAEC’s regulations prohibit candidates from possessing mobile phones in examination halls, irrespective of whether the devices are used.

“The rule is that once you have a mobile phone, your results are cancelled,” Mr Kapi said.

He expressed concern about how candidates continued to enter examination halls with mobile phones despite instructions to supervisors and invigilators to conduct thorough searches.

According to him, candidates may be devising sophisticated ways of concealing the devices or searches conducted at some examination centres may not be sufficiently rigorous.

“It is possible that the candidates devise a means of concealing these from the invigilators who are searching, or that the search is not thorough,” he stated.

“But the point is that we still find a lot of candidates who go into the examination hall with mobile phones.”

Mr Kapi said WAEC regularly reminds supervisors and invigilators during briefing sessions to search candidates thoroughly before admitting them into examination halls.

Beyond the mobile-phone cases, the Council cancelled the subject results of 7,434 candidates for taking unauthorised materials, including prepared notes, textbooks and printed materials, into examination halls.

The subject or entire results of another 270 candidates have also been withheld pending investigations into various suspected examination offences.

Mr Kapi advised affected candidates to visit WAEC’s examination irregularities portal to determine why their results had been cancelled or withheld.