At least 20 suspects have been apprehended by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Police Force in connection with the hacking of the 2025 Computer-Based Test (CBT) Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The suspects are believed to be part of a larger syndicate comprising over 100 individuals who specialise in breaching the servers of exam bodies like JAMB and the National Examinations Council (NECO).
Security sources revealed that the suspects confessed to sabotaging the CBT system with the intent of discrediting JAMB and discouraging students from using CBT in future NECO and West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exams.
One suspect reportedly admitted that the syndicate would install malicious software on examination body hardware, enabling them to remotely hack JAMB servers at targeted CBT centres.
The hacking operation was designed to manipulate scores for select candidates who paid between N700,000 and N2 million. Preliminary investigations also suggest that several members of the syndicate own private schools and colleges, profiting significantly from these illicit activities.
