ABUJA — A major network of cybercriminals allegedly responsible for infiltrating the Computer-Based Testing (CBT) infrastructure of Nigeria’s national examinations has been dismantled, with over 20 suspects currently in custody, security officials have confirmed.
The group, described as a “syndicate” involving more than 100 individuals across several states, is accused of deliberately sabotaging the integrity of the 2025 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exams. According to security sources, the arrests were made by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Police Force following a covert investigation.
The operation revealed a sophisticated scheme designed to manipulate examination outcomes and compromise the integrity of CBT-based assessments. Investigators say the suspects successfully deployed malicious software to remotely access and disrupt JAMB’s servers at various CBT centres across the country.
“The strategy of these hackers involved mounting routers within the vicinity of the targeted CBT centres. The routers would, in turn, override JAMB platforms at the centres, making it easy for the special candidates who paid to get answers to the questions,” a security official disclosed under condition of anonymity.
The software, once activated, allowed the syndicate to hijack JAMB’s server operations at targeted centres, creating discrepancies between the exam questions and candidate responses. This digital manipulation is believed to have contributed to the unusually high failure rate recorded in the 2025 exams.
Suspects were apprehended in multiple states including Lagos, Edo, Anambra, Kano, and Delta. Authorities have withheld their names pending arraignment.
The investigation, which has been ongoing for several months, reportedly involved tracking the deployment of signal-boosting devices and analysing suspicious data flows from exam locations. Sources allege that the accused individuals offered so-called “special services” to candidates who paid between ₦700,000 and ₦2 million to secure inflated scores.
Many of those implicated are said to be proprietors of private secondary schools and tutorial centres, some of which operate as ‘special centres’ notorious for examination malpractice. The syndicate is believed to have feared that the wider adoption of CBT for WAEC and NECO exams would render their fraudulent operations unprofitable.
“The intrusion of the ghost software by the syndicate distorted the system, making answers provided by candidates during the exam to be at variance with the questions,” the security source explained.
Although the investigation is ongoing, no evidence has thus far linked the seven JAMB staff members supervising the service providers at two affected locations to the hacking operation.
Authorities are continuing efforts to identify and apprehend other members of the network. Charges are expected to be filed once investigations are concluded.