POLICE SUMMON WAEC OFFICIAL AS DISPUTE OVER 2026 RESULTS ESCALATES

The controversy surrounding the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination results has taken a legal turn, with the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre inviting a West African Examinations Council official, Olanrewaju Fadehan, for questioning over allegations of cyberstalking and criminal defamation. Fadehan, who is expected to appear at the centre in Abuja on Wednesday, was invited in a letter signed by the Director of the NPF-NCCC, AIG Akaninyene Ezima. The development comes amid a growing dispute between the WAEC official and the examination body over claims concerning the credibility of the recently released results.

The police invitation followed an interim order issued by the Lagos State High Court restraining Fadehan from publishing or circulating what WAEC and its Director-General, Dr Amos Dangut, consider defamatory material. Justice Yetunde Adesanya, in Suit No. LD/ADR/6656/2026, ordered that Fadehan should not publish, broadcast or disseminate alleged defamatory statements concerning WAEC, its examinations, results and certificates, as well as Dangut's character and integrity. The order applies to various platforms and formats, including videos, audio recordings, written materials, YouTube and WhatsApp, and is expected to lapse after seven days unless renewed.

The legal action stems from a series of viral videos in which Fadehan, the Head of Examinations at WAEC's Anambra office, called for a review of the 2026 WASSCE results and alleged irregularities in the examination process. He raised concerns about the supply of calculators, candidates' identification cards and charges imposed by the council, while also alleging that some candidates were not given appropriate calculators during the examination. He subsequently petitioned the WAEC Board, the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Examining Bodies and the Minister of Education, claiming that disciplinary measures were taken against him after he raised his concerns.

WAEC, however, has rejected Fadehan's allegations and accused him of spreading false and sensational information against the council and its leadership. The examination body also alleged that he was connected to an earlier controversy involving missing diesel at its Awka office, claiming that he had made unsubstantiated allegations after serving a four-week suspension. WAEC and Dangut are seeking a total of N825m in damages, comprising N500m in general damages, N300m in aggravated and exemplary damages and N25m in legal costs, alongside orders compelling Fadehan to retract the alleged defamatory publications, apologise publicly and remove them from online platforms.

Fadehan has disputed WAEC's claims, maintaining that the fuel controversy cited by the council was separate from the matter that resulted in his interdiction. He said an internal panel had concluded that nobody stole the fuel and that the shortage was caused by leakage. He also insisted that his concerns about the examination results were genuine and denied being motivated by bitterness over the disciplinary measures imposed on him, saying he had appealed against them. With the police invitation and court order now added to the dispute, the controversy over the 2026 WASSCE results has moved beyond public debate into a formal legal battle.