DSS, Police arrest 20 hackers over JAMB 2025 CBT Exam sabotage

The Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Police Force have apprehended 20 suspected hackers accused of tampering with the 2025 Computer-Based Test (CBT) examinations conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

The arrested suspects are believed to be part of a larger syndicate made up of over 100 individuals who specialise in breaching the computer servers of examination bodies such as JAMB and the National Examinations Council (NECO).

Security sources revealed that the suspects have confessed to deliberately sabotaging the CBT system to undermine JAMB’s credibility and discourage the use of CBT for future examinations like WAEC and NECO.

According to one of the sources, a suspect admitted that the syndicate installed a type of attacking software on the exam body’s hardware, allowing them to remotely hack into JAMB servers at targeted CBT centres. Suspects were reportedly picked up from Lagos, Edo, Anambra, Kano, Delta, and other states, with ongoing efforts to apprehend more members of the group.

It was gathered that while public attention was on the controversy surrounding the exams, the DSS had been discreetly monitoring and investigating the network of hackers. This surveillance eventually led to the arrest of over 20 individuals across different parts of the country, with investigations still ongoing.

The syndicate’s strategy reportedly involved setting up routers near targeted CBT centres, which would override JAMB’s systems and make it possible for certain candidates, who had paid hefty sums, to receive answers during the exam. This ghost software attack allegedly caused inconsistencies in the system, leading to a widespread failure as candidates’ answers did not match the questions presented during the test.

The source disclosed that the operation was designed to benefit special candidates who paid between ₦700,000 and ₦2 million for high scores. Preliminary findings also revealed that several syndicate members are proprietors of private schools and colleges, running illegal ‘special centres’ for exams and profiting from this malpractice.

He noted that these operators fear the full adoption of CBT-based exams for WAEC and NECO would threaten their illegal businesses.

As of Friday evening, the source confirmed that no evidence of involvement had been found against the seven JAMB officials who supervised service providers at the affected centres.