Security agencies have arrested 20 suspects linked to a large-scale hacking operation that compromised the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
ThePulseInfo gathered that the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force carried out the arrests. The suspects are believed to be part of a sophisticated syndicate made up of over 100 individuals who specialize in hacking examination servers, including those of JAMB and the National Examinations Council (NECO).
According to reports from AIT, sources within the security agencies revealed that the suspects confessed to deliberately sabotaging the Computer-Based Test (CBT) system. Their goal was to discredit JAMB and discourage the use of CBT in future exams by NECO and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
Investigations also revealed that many members of the syndicate operate private schools and ‘special centres’ where they profit from helping students cheat. Candidates reportedly paid between ₦700,000 and ₦2 million to receive illegally inflated UTME scores.
A source familiar with the investigation explained that the syndicate installed malicious software on JAMB hardware to remotely breach its servers during exams. They placed special routers near targeted CBT centres to override JAMB’s official platform, allowing candidates to access exam answers in real time.
“The syndicate’s software tampered with the exam system,” the source said. “It caused a mismatch between the questions and the answers recorded by candidates, leading to widespread failure.”
Authorities say further investigations are ongoing to dismantle the entire network and ensure the integrity of future national examinations.
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