WAEC-Liberia Dismisses Social Media 'Armed Police' Report in Exam Hall; Threatens Legal Actions

Monrovia, Liberia: The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Liberia Chapter has strongly refuted trending social media reports of a photo showing multiple armed police officers being deployed over students in a testing hall during the first day of the 2026 national exam.

The examination body's response comes amidst growing public mixed reactions following a June 1, 2026, Facebook publication by an online platform, Refresh Liberia.

The platform in a photo posted, showed candidates sitting the exam reportedly under a huge presence of armed officers, with a caption: "Writing the test like this, do you think our students will have good results this year?"

But in a statement issued Tuesday, June 2, 2026, WEAC Liberia termed the report as false and misleading. 

The body said a background investigation and analysis conducted found a 93 percent likelihood that the image was generated through Artificial Intelligence.

WAEC stated that the publication was only intended to dent the reputation of both the Council and the Liberia National Police.

According to the Secretariat, police officers assigned to examination centers are deployed primarily for security purposes, and at no time, has more than one officer been assigned to a center.

"The Liberia National Police has never deployed heavily armed officers to supervise candidates at our examination centers," the Council emphasized.

Meanwhile, WAEC-Liberia is demanding that Refresh Liberia immediately retract the post, warning that failure to do so could result in legal proceedings.

The Council said it remains committed to protecting the integrity of the examination process and ensuring that the public receives accurate information regarding its operations.

Meanwhile, the online platform, Refresh Liberia, has clarified that its post emerged from an already circulating photo on social media.

The platform furthered that the publication was not intended to mislead the public, but had ascertained how people react to such situations.

Refresh Liberia at the same time apologizes to the West African Examination Council Liberia Chapter and the Liberia National Police for the inconvenience its post may have caused.

The viral photo of multiple armed police officers being deployed in testing halls, triggered a strong reaction from members of the public, with some criticizing the alleged action, before the relevant authority could intervene.

However, over 50,000 senior students from 1,126 high schools across Liberia are sitting the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The exam commenced on June 1, 2026, and is expected to end on June 19, 2026.