THE West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has withheld the results of 167,486 candidates who sat the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates over alleged examination malpractice. The Head of WAEC National Office, Amos Dangut, while announcing the release of the 2026 examination results during a press briefing in Lagos on Wednesday attributed the withheld results to widespread examination malpractice, including the growing use of mobile phones in examination halls and organised cheating in some schools. The West African Senior School Certificate Examination is conducted annually by WAEC for secondary school students in English-speaking West African countries. Nigeria began introducing computer-based WASSCE for school candidates in 2025 as part of broader reforms to modernise examination administration, improve efficiency and curb examination malpractice, including impersonation, question leakage and collusion. The council has continued to tighten security measures through technology-driven innovations and stricter enforcement against candidates and examination officials involved in malpractice.