- The UK Home Office has revoked the visas of several Nigerian nurses under investigation for alleged examination fraud
- The UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is investigating suspected malpractice at Yunnik Technologies Test Centre in Ibadan, Nigeria
- Affected nurses have been instructed to leave the UK starting next week, despite pending appeals
The United Kingdom’s Home Office has revoked the visas of several Nigerian nurses under investigation for alleged examination fraud, instructing them to leave the country.
According to Nursing Times, the affected nurses, who are still awaiting the outcomes of their appeals, received official letters from the Home Office ordering them to exit the UK starting next week.
The action follows an ongoing probe by the UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) into suspected malpractice at Yunnik Technologies Test Centre in Ibadan, Nigeria.
The investigation, launched in 2023, was triggered after the NMC detected irregularities in the computer-based test (CBT) for foreign nurses seeking registration in the UK.
The CBT is a crucial part of the UK’s nursing qualification process and is typically taken in candidates' home countries.
Following a review of the test data, the NMC determined that 48 registered nurses and 669 applicants may have obtained their results fraudulently.
As a result, all test results from Yunnik Technologies were declared invalid.
The affected individuals were to have their cases reviewed by an independent panel to determine whether fraud was committed.
However, in February 2025, around 50 of them issued a pre-action protocol letter to the NMC, accusing the council of deliberately delaying their hearings.
They also urged the NMC to work with the Home Office to allow them to remain in the UK while their appeals were under review.
Despite these appeals, the Home Office has now taken steps to enforce their removal.
The decision has sparked concerns about fairness, as many affected nurses maintain that they took the exams legitimately.
Some argue that they are being unfairly punished due to the actions of others.
The NMC has previously stated that it is committed to a fair and transparent investigation process, ensuring that no nurse faces unjust consequences.
However, with the Home Office now pressing for their departure, the fate of these Nigerian nurses remains uncertain.
WAEC withholds 2,577 results due to alleged malpractice
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) withheld the results of 2,577 candidates from the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination for Private Candidates (Second Series), due to allegations of examination malpractice.
In a statement issued by Moyosola Adesina, the Acting Head of Public Affairs, WAEC confirmed that a total of 68,342 candidates had registered for the examination, though only 65,023 candidates sat for the exam across 5,067 centres nationwide.