At least 20 individuals are currently in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Police Force in Abuja for allegedly hacking the 2025 Computer-Based Test (CBT) examinations conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

Investigations by TechDigest revealed that the suspects are part of a larger cybercrime syndicate believed to include over 100 members. The group is accused of targeting examination bodies such as JAMB and the National Examinations Council (NECO) by hacking their computer servers to manipulate examination outcomes.

Security sources confirmed on Friday that the suspects have confessed to deploying sophisticated tactics aimed at sabotaging the CBT system. Their goal, according to the confessions, was to discredit JAMB and frustrate ongoing efforts to adopt CBT for other national examinations like WAEC and NECO.

One of the suspects allegedly admitted to installing malicious software on JAMB hardware, enabling remote access to the examination body’s servers at targeted CBT centres.

“The hackers would set up routers near CBT centres to override JAMB’s systems, allowing special candidates—who paid hefty sums—to receive answers during the exam,” the source explained.

He further stated that the breach affected exam integrity, with the inserted software disrupting the alignment between questions and the answers submitted, contributing to widespread failures during the exercise.

According to findings, candidates paid between ₦700,000 and ₦2 million for access to the illicit services. The suspects reportedly include school proprietors who run unaccredited ‘special centres’ and rake in profits from examination malpractices. They are believed to oppose the expansion of CBT-based exams, fearing the move would cripple their operations.

While arrests have been made in states including Lagos, Edo, Anambra, Kano, and Delta, the identities of the suspects are being withheld pending their arraignment in court.

The DSS, according to the source, had been secretly investigating the syndicate and made the arrests following months of surveillance. He also clarified that no evidence of involvement had been found against the seven JAMB staff who supervised the affected CBT centres.

Further arrests are expected as the investigation continues.

The post JAMB: DSS, Police Nab 20 Suspects Over 2025 UTME Result Hacking appeared first on Tech Digest News.

TECH DIGEST – The current effort to rid Nigeria’s telecommunications database of contamination is yielding results.

As part of its routine enforcement activities to sanitise the industry of criminal elements, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) arrested no fewer than five suspected individuals for allegedly engaging in fraudulently registering and selling Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards.

The hitch-free operation, as confirmed by the Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, was carried out by a joint team from the Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Department of the Commission, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 in the Wuse area of Abuja.

The arrested suspects were subsequently handed over to the NSCDC Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, Wuse, Abuja for further investigation with respect to the allegations leveled against them.

Commenting on the enforcement operation, NCC’s Head of Enforcement, Salisu Abdu, who led the joint enforcement exercise, said the exercise was part of the routine activities embarked upon by the Commission to rid the industry of criminal elements engaging in fraudulent registration of SIM cards.

He said pre-registering a SIM card is an offence punishable under relevant regulations in the telecom sector and constitutes a breach of national security.

“It is criminal and fraudulent to pre-register a SIM card in Nigeria and it is an offence punishable under the law. Though the Federal Government recently lifted the ban on sale of new SIM cards, it should be noted that proper registration of SIM cards and linking them to National Identification Number (NIN) before activation has now become a prerequisite,” he said.

Abdu warned those who are engaged in the unlawful registration of SIM cards to desist from the illegal act, noting that the Commission will continue to collaborate with relevant law enforcement agencies in its routine enforcement activities in order to rid the industry of individuals, who have resolved to contravene SIM registration regulations.

The enforcement activities will continue in other locations across the FCT and other states of the country.

The post NCC Arrests Five Suspects Over Fraudulently-Registered SIM Cards appeared first on Tech Digest News.