At least 20 suspects are currently in the custody of the Department of State Services and the Nigerian Police Force in Abuja for allegedly hacking the servers used to conduct the 2025 Computer-Based Test examinations of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
The suspects are believed to be part of a larger syndicate comprising over 100 individuals who specialize in hacking the computer servers of key examination bodies, including JAMB and the National Examinations Council.
Security sources said that the suspects have confessed to deliberately sabotaging the CBT systems in a bid to discredit JAMB and discourage the future use of computer-based examinations for WAEC and NECO.
According to one of the sources, the suspects admitted that the syndicate used specially designed attacking software to remotely infiltrate and manipulate JAMB servers at targeted CBT centres.
The source explained that the software was reportedly installed on routers covertly placed within the vicinity of these centres to override JAMB’s secure platforms.
“The strategy of these hackers involved mounting routers near targeted CBT centres. These routers allowed remote access to JAMB systems, enabling ‘special candidates’ who had paid hefty sums to receive answers during the exam.
“The ghost software distorted exam data, resulting in discrepancies between the questions answered by candidates and the actual questions displayed on screen — a development blamed for the widespread failure recorded in the 2025 exams.
“Candidates who benefitted from the illegal scheme reportedly paid between ₦700,000 and ₦2 million for high scores. Investigations have also revealed that several members of the syndicate are proprietors of private schools and tutorial centres, who use the proceeds to fund their so-called “special centres,” the source explained.
The source said the suspects were arrested in coordinated operations across states including Lagos, Edo, Anambra, Kano, and Delta, adding that the identities of the suspects are being withheld pending their arraignment in court.
Another source said no evidence of complicity has been found against the seven JAMB officials who supervised the service providers at the affected CBT centres.
“No case of complicity had been established against the seven JAMB staff who supervised the Service Providers at the two locations,” the source said.
