Officers from the DSS and the Police have arrested some 20 individuals suspected of hacking into the 2025 Computer-Based Test (CBT) system of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
The suspects are currently in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja.
The arrested individuals are part of a broader syndicate comprising over 100 members. The syndicate reportedly specialises in breaching the computer systems of national examination bodies, including JAMB and the National Examinations Council (NECO).
Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects had installed malicious software on hardware used by examination bodies, allowing them to remotely access JAMB servers at selected CBT centres across the country.
One source revealed that the syndicate’s objective was to undermine the credibility of the CBT system and discourage its adoption for other national examinations such as WAEC and NECO.
This comes after JAMB admitted to a “technical glitch” that compromised some 2025 UTME results, leading to nearly 80% of students scoring low grades.