Security operatives in Nigeria have arrested 20 individuals accused of hacking the computer-based 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). The suspects were apprehended in Abuja by personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), according to reports by Channels Television.
The individuals are said to be part of a larger syndicate comprising over 100 people who specialise in breaching the servers of national examination bodies, including JAMB and the National Examinations Council (NECO). Security sources revealed that the suspects confessed to deliberately sabotaging the UTME in an attempt to discredit JAMB and undermine the credibility of computer-based testing. Their aim, according to the confessions, was to discourage the use of CBT for future examinations by NECO and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
Investigations also showed that the suspects charged between ₦700,000 and ₦2 million to help special candidates obtain inflated scores. They allegedly used private schools and colleges as operational bases for the illicit activities.
This year’s UTME, which began nationwide in April, was already facing controversy before the arrests. Candidates raised concerns over logistical challenges, with many reporting that they were posted to distant centres that made it difficult or impossible for them to sit for the exam.
When results were released on May 9, more than 78 percent of candidates scored below 200 marks out of the 400 maximum, leading to widespread outcry and suspicions about the integrity of the process. On May 14, JAMB Registrar Professor Ishaq Oloyede acknowledged that a technical error had compromised the results in 157 examination centres. He said 379,997 candidates were affected, citing faulty server updates in the Lagos and south-east zones, which led to the failure of some systems to upload candidates’ responses during the first three days of testing.
JAMB has since conducted a re-sit examination for those affected by the error.
