The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has explained why some candidates in the ongoing 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) were forced to write their papers late into the night in certain centres across the country.
In a statement addressing the development, WAEC said it received reports of delayed examination conduct and immediately commenced investigations to determine the causes and prevent a recurrence.
The Council attributed the disruption to a combination of logistical, operational, and security challenges that affected the timely distribution of examination materials.
According to WAEC, a major factor was a tragic motor accident on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, which claimed the lives of three staff members involved in transporting sensitive examination materials.
“The delay was caused by a combination of logistical and operational challenges, notably the direct result of a devastating motor accident on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, which tragically claimed the lives of three of our dedicated personnel who were transporting sensitive examination materials interstate,” the Council said.
It added that the incident had a severe impact on its distribution schedule.
“This heartbreaking loss, coupled with prevailing regional security challenges, severely compromised our distribution schedule, which inadvertently led to the delayed start times,” WAEC stated.
The Council also cited security challenges, including protests over the abduction of school children, as another factor that disrupted the movement of examination materials.
“Security challenges which led to mass protests against the abduction of school children also affected the timely distribution of examination materials in spite of the Council’s best efforts,” it added.
WAEC further explained that operational issues such as late registration of candidates and delays in finalising examination modalities also contributed to the situation.
Despite the challenges, the Council said emergency measures were deployed to ensure that the examinations still held in affected areas, even if at delayed hours.
“While we mourned our fallen colleagues, our team of indefatigable staff worked around the clock to deploy emergency contingency measures to ensure that the examination was still conducted in the areas affected,” WAEC said.
The Council assured candidates and stakeholders that steps had been taken to prevent a recurrence and ensure smoother conduct of the remaining papers.
“The Council hereby assures the general public that it has put modalities in place to ensure that the rest of the examination is conducted hitch-free,” it stated.
WAEC also expressed appreciation to education authorities and security agencies for their cooperation, while reaffirming its commitment to maintaining the integrity of the examination process.