Hackers Reveal How Some CBT Centres Were Compromised During 2025 UTME

Investigations have revealed that some operators of Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres accredited by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) were allegedly involved in facilitating large-scale examination malpractice during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Sources disclosed that centre operators supplied technical information to hackers, enabling them to access servers and manipulate exam results. The revelation comes in the wake of technical glitches during the May 2025 UTME, which affected scores for 1.5 million out of 1.9 million candidates. The situation drew national attention when JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, openly acknowledged the errors.

Security agencies arrested at least 20 suspects in Abuja for hacking into CBT centres, while JAMB also flagged candidates using artificial intelligence to impersonate others or falsify personal details to cheat. By July, data from JAMB’s 2025 policy meeting identified CBT centres in Imo and Anambra states as top offenders, with 19 centres nationwide implicated in examination malpractices.

In August, JAMB announced that 6,458 candidates were under investigation for technology-enabled exam fraud and set up a 23-member Special Committee on Examination Infraction to report within 21 days.

Speaking to Saturday PUNCH, a hacker known as Ahmed described how compromised centre servers allowed remote “mercenaries” to take exams on behalf of candidates. He said operators provided IP addresses, enabling hackers to log in undetected, answer questions, and log candidates back in once exams were complete. Ahmed explained that numeric codes inserted into the system allowed full access to candidate portals, with candidates instructed to remain silent during the process.

An education consultant in Lagos confirmed that such breaches would be impossible without insider cooperation from CBT centre operators, who reportedly receive significant payments for facilitating fraud. A Lagos-based centre operator added that owners are often aware of server compromises but profit from the activity, sometimes coordinating directly with JAMB contacts.

JAMB, however, maintained that its examination system cannot be hacked directly. Spokesperson Fabian Benjamin clarified that questions are transmitted through a secure local network, not via the Internet, and are only accessible through candidate biometric verification.

The National President of the Computer-Based Test Centre Proprietors Association, Austin Ohaekelem, stressed that not all centres are involved in malpractice and warned against mislabeling genuine technical glitches as fraud. He cited examples of network or biometric errors during registration that are often mistakenly interpreted as deliberate attempts to cheat.

Officials from tutorial and coaching centres across the country urged JAMB to review its systems and close loopholes that allow malpractice. Secretary of the Association of Tutorial School Operators in Oyo State, Ogundokun Olufunso, highlighted that most reputable centres now avoid “miracle” practices due to legal risks. Similarly, coaching centre directors called for comprehensive upgrades to JAMB’s technology to prevent future breaches and restore confidence in the examination process.