At least 20 individuals have been arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Police Force in connection with the hacking of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results.
The UTME, a computer-based test administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), was reportedly compromised by a syndicate alleged to include over 100 members. The group is said to specialize in hacking into the computer servers of national examination bodies such as JAMB and the National Examinations Council (NECO).
According to security sources cited by AIT, the suspects confessed to deliberately sabotaging the CBT infrastructure. Their aim, reportedly, was to undermine JAMB’s credibility and deter the continued use of computer-based testing for future exams by NECO and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
“The syndicate would install malicious software on the examination body’s hardware,” said one security source. “The software allowed remote access to JAMB servers at targeted CBT centres.”
Investigators revealed that the scheme was designed to fraudulently boost scores for so-called “special candidates,” who paid between N700,000 and N2 million for the service.
Preliminary findings also indicated that many members of the syndicate operate private schools and tutorial centres, profiting immensely through their roles in these “special centres.”
Authorities say further investigations are ongoing, and more arrests may follow as they work to dismantle the entire network and safeguard the integrity of national examinations.
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