The Department of State Services, DSS, and the Nigerian Police Force, NPF, in Abuja have arrested at least 20 persons for allegedly hacking the servers used to conduct the 2025 computer-based test examinations of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.
The suspects, currently in the custody of the security agencies, 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.
One of the sources disclosed that the suspects admitted that the syndicate used specially designed attacking software to remotely infiltrate and manipulate JAMB servers at targeted CBT centers.
The source explained that the software was reportedly installed on routers covertly placed within the vicinity of these centers to override JAMB’s secure platforms.
The source further stated that the suspects were arrested in coordinated operations across states, including Lagos, Edo, Anambra, Delta and Kano.
He noted that the identities of the suspects are being withheld pending their arraignment in court.
Meanwhile, another source said no evidence of complicity has been found against the seven JAMB officials who supervised the service providers at the affected CBT centers.
