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Only 15 of the 40 buses needed for the operation were available, which delayed the Wednesday evacuation of 2,400 students and other Nigerians trapped by the ongoing fighting in Sudan.

Only 10 buses were accessible as of Wednesday morning, with an additional five buses being given later in the day, despite the Federal Government having chartered 40 buses for the return of nationals to Egypt from Khartoum and other towns.

While this was going on, Geoffrey Onyeama, the minister of foreign affairs, stated that the Federal Government had been charged $1.2 million for the removal of Nigerian nationals from Sudan.

He noted Sudan’s high cost of evacuating Nigerians as a result of the country’s insecurity.

“Evacuated Nigerians are with the Rapid Support Forces,” a student who was evacuated told Newsmen, they will accompany them to the Egyptian border.

Approximately 5,500 Nigerians, including students who were trapped in Sudan, would be evacuated starting on Wednesday, the government had announced on Tuesday.

The government approved N150 million on Tuesday through the National Emergency Management Agency in order to hire the buses that would take the citizens from Sudan to Cairo in Egypt and speed up the repatriation.

But on Wednesday afternoon, the terrified students told our correspondent that dozens of them were still stuck in Khartoum since only 15 buses had taken some of their fellow students out of Sudan, leaving the rest in limbo and in fear.

According to reports, the students’ anxiety was not unrelated to the unpredictability of the situation in Sudan and the fact that the Rapid Support Force’s and the Sudanese military’s three-day ceasefire is coming to an end on Thursday (today).

Following a ceasefire mediated by the United States to allow other countries to evacuate their citizens, the warring parties had ceased hostilities.

Despite the ceasefire, violence was reportedly taking place in several areas of the capital on Wednesday, even as a hospital was being shelled.

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the commander of the army, and Mohamed Dagalo, the leader of the paramilitary RSF, are at odds about who will govern the nation. So far, more than 400 people have passed away.

Battles have also moved to Sudan’s western area of Darfur, bringing back memories of the 16-year conflict that claimed 300,000 lives and has been most fierce in the capital Khartoum.

Idris Wakama, a student at Noble College in Sudan, told The PUNCH on Wednesday morning that “10 buses have already come. Even my understanding has changed. The exodus proceeds extremely slowly. Even if some students are presently boarding the available buses, none of them will be able to transport us all, so we all need to leave Khartoum at the same time.

Onyeama explained that the high cost of the evacuation was necessary to provide security cover for the eight-hour trip from Luxor to Cairo and the eleven-hour trip from Aswan to Cairo, Egypt, shortly after this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting, which was presided over by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret.), at the Council Chambers of Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

Onyeama and the Minister of State, Zubairu Dada, alternated in explaining the Federal Government’s attempts to evacuate Nigerians to safety while stressing that no Nigerian lives were lost in the violence.

Shedding light on the cost of the evacuation, Onyeama said, “It’s a lot of money. What I can tell you now is that we’re being charged $1.2m for the 40 huge transporter luxury buses made available to us to transport to the Egyptian border.

“Of course, you know because of the risks involved and so many other things. A lot of people are going to also take advantage of this. They’re going to hike up the price. You know, we saw how the French convoy was attacked. So it was difficult procuring these buses, but we had to do it because Nigerian lives matter.”

The minister added that the diplomatic staff from Nigeria stationed in Sudan should have remained on the ground to coordinate the operation rather than being evacuated on Wednesday.

“Now, our diplomats cannot be evacuated before the students and others. They have to be there to coordinate, maintain contact with the Sudanese authorities, ensure that there’s security being assured for the convoy for the journey and keep in touch with other friendly countries with whom we are coordinating.

“So, their presence is very important. Now, as regards the gender question, I think that’s obviously something we will have to look into in a bit more detail, but I think ordinarily, it will be appropriate that women and children should be given priority. That goes without saying, ” he submitted.

Speaking on the planned airlift for the evacuees, the minister stated, “I spoke to the Chief of Defence Staff and he indicated that there are some military transport planes that will be available.

“And of course, Air Peace is making the offer and there are other airlines too, that their owners might also want to make an offer, but we will leave it to NEMA to coordinate who they use to transport by air.”

The majority of the evacuees are students at the University of Khartoum, but he noted that there had been no discussion of alternate plans for them to complete their education.

When asked about plans for the education of the students whose studies have been interrupted by the conflict, the minister said “None that I’m aware of. But yes, it’s a different context. During the Russia-Ukraine war, it was evident to everybody that this is not something that was going to be solved in a year or a year and a half.

“But in this situation, we would like to think that it should not drag on beyond another one month, maximum. But of course, one never knows. Then we’ll now begin to see how we can have alternative arrangements for the education of the students.”

He asserted that despite the Federal Government’s desire to use the 72-hour ceasefire to evacuate stranded Nigerians, the operation will not be hindered even after the ceasefire expires due to the existing understanding between Nigeria and the combatants.

The minister also disclosed that there were other ways for Nigerians to leave the country except by bus.

He claimed that the Saudi authorities had securely transferred some Nigerians to Jeddah, from which they would shortly depart for home.

Dada said “Let me also add that some Nigerians have actually been evacuated by ship from Port Sudan by the government of Saudi Arabia. Don’t forget this is a joint effort. I mean we have friendly nations that are ready to assist so that we have it on record that the Saudi authorities have been able to pick up some Nigerians, they’re transporting them by ship to Jeddah from where we’ll link up and find a way of bringing them back from Jeddah.”

Five people have been charged by the Ondo State Police Command over the death of Temitope Olorunfemi, who was allegedly a “yahoo boy,” before the state’s Chief Magistrate’s Court in Akure, the state’s capital.

After his Toyota Camry automobile on Easter Monday crushed one person to death and maimed numerous others, Olorunfemi was killed by locals in Akure’s Ijoka neighborhood.

They claimed to have discovered some fetish things inside the car, leading them to suspect that he was an online scammer, and they set fire to the vehicle as well.

Five people were detained by the state police and have been charged in relation to the occurrence.

The defendants, who were arraigned on three counts of felony, illegal murder, and arson, included Victor Amos, 30, Ismalia, 32, Pelumi Farotimi, 42, Nurudeen Kumuyi, 22, and Samuel Olatunji, 23.

The defendants and additional people still at large, according to the prosecution, committed the crime on April 10, 2023, at 9:00 am on Ijoka Road in Akure, in front of Odopo Town Hall.

The accused conspired to conduct a felony and an unlawful murder of the dead, the prosecution, Inspector Nelson Akintimehin, told the court. Additionally, he claimed that the victim was brutally murdered with sticks, stones, and other dangerous objects.

He also testified before the court that the offenders intentionally put one Toyota Camry with the license plate KRD 627 GY on fire.

The offenses violate Sections 324, 316(1), and 451(6)(J) of the Criminals Code, Cap 37 Vol. 2 Laws of Ondo State, according to the charge.

The prosecutor requested that the defendant be held at the Olokuta Correctional Center while the state’s office of the director of public prosecutions issues its opinion.

However, O. Agbede, the defense attorney, requested a postponement so that each defendant may submit a counter-affidavit in response to the prosecutor’s application.

The Chief Magistrate Musa Al-Yunus granted the defense attorneys’ requests in his decision and postponed the case until April 27, 2023 while they responded to the affidavit and ruling.

16 families of police officers who died while assigned to the Command have received checks totaling N38.3 million from Anambra State’s Commissioner of Police, Echeng Echeng.

On Wednesday, Echeng delivered the checks to the recipients at the state capitol in Awka on behalf of IGP Usman Baba Alkali, the Inspector-General of Police.

DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, the state police’s spokesperson, provided information regarding the disbursement in a statement on Wednesday.

The gesture, according to the statement, is an effort of the IGP toward the family welfare and insurance system designed to support the family of Police personnel who passed away while performing their official duties.

It read, “It is also aimed at spurring officers to greatness while discharging their statutory duties with the assurance that their welfare is of paramount importance to the leadership of the Force.

“The CP while presenting the cheques to the beneficiaries thanked the Inspector-General of Police for his relentless efforts at ensuring a good welfare package for personnel of the Force.

Echeng urged the recipients to invest the funds profitably in a business initiative that will, in turn, lessen the requirements of the dependents who were left behind.

He particularly noted that “in the last three months, this is the second time the Command had received similar cheques from the Inspector General of Police and it was presented to the beneficiaries”.

The CP, in the meantime, gave the IGP assurances that the officers and men of the Command would continue to do their utmost to maintain Anambra State’s peace, security, and safety.

The recipient families expressed gratitude to the Inspector-General of Police and promised to spend the funds wisely.

The South-West Zone of the National Association of Nigerian Students has set MultiChoice Nigeria a seven-day deadline to drop plans to increase DSTV and GOTV subscription prices.

Deputy Coordinator Alao John, Public Relations Officer Opeoluwa Awoyinfa, and Coordinator Adejuwon Olatunji of the student association announced this in a statement on Tuesday.

MultiChoice issued text messages to its subscribers announcing a 17 percent price increase for its DSTV and GOTV bundles. also specified that the higher rates would go into effect on May 1, 2023, and also provided an explanation for the rise, citing increased operating costs.

NANS opposed the subscription increase, claiming that the South African corporation was extorting Nigerians and making their lives difficult without taking into account their way of living.

It also noted that tariffs should be charged on a “pay as you view” basis.

The NANS statement remarked, “Today, we are aware that Multi Choice Digital Satellite has increased its tariffs without considering the standard of living of Nigerians. We have also waited for long to see if this same company will dance to the music of Nigerians who have been clamouring for ‘pay-as-you-view’ tariff, but the reverse is the case.

“This is the time to call on National Broadcasting Commission to go back to the Commission’s act to regulate the ownership, activities and operations of Direct Broadcast Satellite Service Providers. DSTV is one of the leading direct-to-home service providers in Nigeria since its inception of operation from as far back as 1995, and has also made a lot of profit with over 25 million subscribers which is the largest market for its operations.

“We want the Federal Government to stampede their proposed plan in tariffs increment and also force them to implement the pay-as-you-view system. We are aware that DSTV operates a system of pay-as-you-go tariffs in other countries,” NANS declared.

According to the report, Nigeria accounts for over 45% of the global DSTV market share. It therefore urged the Minister of Communication and the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret. ), to “break the sporting right of MultiChoice” and establish a rival service provider in Nigeria so that “Nigerians can stop being exploited on a daily basis.”

Giving the ultimatum, NANS stressed, “We hereby give seven days ultimatum to MultiChoice Digital Satellite Television to reverse the plan of increasing the tariffs and also yield to the call of Nigerians by implementing pay-as-you-view tariffs, or else, we shall be left with no other option but to lock up all offices of DSTV until our demands are met which is the mind of all Nigerians.”

In the Council Chambers of the State House in Abuja on Wednesday, President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret.) swore in six new permanent secretaries to the Federal Civil Service.

The swearing-in took place between 10:05 and 10:30 am, just before the Federal Executive Council meeting for this week was scheduled to start.

Mahmud Kambari (Borno State), Esuabana Nko-Asanye (Cross River), Lamuwa Ibrahim (Gombe), Yakubu Kofar-Mata (Kano), Oloruntola Michael (Ogun), and Richard Pheelangwah (Taraba State) are the appointees, along with their states of origin.

The Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation’s prequalification process for directors culminated in this occasion, according to Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, who read the citations of the new officers.

“Mr President, six persons have fulfilled the conditions as permanent secretaries after a selection exercise recently conducted for directors.

“This exercise involved competency tests and interactions with a wide range of stakeholders,” he said.

Buhari authorized their appointments just over a month before to the swearing-in.

According to Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, the head of the Federal Civil Service, on March 29, 2023, the President had given the go-ahead for the appointment of the six permanent secretaries to the Federal Civil Service based on the just completed selection process.

Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, the President’s Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, and Maj-Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.) were all present when the Federal Executive Council officially got underway.

Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola, Ministers of Science and Technology Olorunimbe Mamora, Finance Zainab Ahmed, Ministers of Transportation Mu’azu Sambo, Ministers of Agriculture Mohammed Abubakar, Ministers of Health Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Ministers of Information Lai Mohammed, Ministers of Mines and Steel Development Olamilekan Adegbite, Minister of Communication and Digital Economy Prof. Isa Pantami, and Minister of Sports Sunday Dare.

While traveling in the United States of America, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo spoke at the University of Pennsylvania in a special speech about the need for an equitable energy transition for Africa in light of climate change.

Later on Wednesday, he is anticipated to return to Abuja.

Nigeria will this morning commence the evacuation of about 5,500 Nigerians, including students stranded in conflict -torn Sudanese capital; Khartoum and other cities in the beleaguered country.

The government has released N150m for hiring 40 buses to convey fear – stricken Nigerians out of Sudan to Cairo in Egypt for onward journey home.

The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who confirmed this on Tuesday, said the payment had been made, stressing that Nigerian nationals would take off this morning.

Nigerian Government is taking the advantage of three-day ceasefire which started at midnight Tuesday as declared by the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Force to move its citizens out of the crisis zone.

Other countries, especially African nations are also keying into the rare moment of temporary suspension of hostilities to move their nationals from Sudan.

British troops to take control of Khartoum airfield 

According to BBC, between 230 and 240 UK nationals have been evacuated from Sudan as of Wednesday morning as the evacuation of foreign nationals from Sudan continues.

Also, British troops are preparing to take over control of the airfield near Khartoum from where the evacuations are taking place.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the UK would take charge of the airstrip near German forces after Berlin said its final evacuation flight would leave on Tuesday night.

He said 120 British troops have already been supporting the operation there.

Many countries have evacuated diplomats and citizens from Sudan’s capital as fierce fighting continued to rage in Khartoum.

The fierce conflict in Sudan erupted on April 16, 2023, as an infighting between the country’s two Generals.

The Generals of the Sudanese Army, led by Abdel Fattah Burhan, and a group known as Rapid Support Forces, RSF, led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo have been locked in a crisis that may spiral into a full-blown civil war if the raging fighting continued unabated.

The country’s capital, Khartoum witnessed escalating fighting, shattering the residents’ peace and festivities during the Eid – El – Fitr, and forcing many countries to start retrieving their diplomats and nationals from Sudan to safety.

A French national was reportedly shot on Sunday when gunmen opened fire on a French convoy during its evacuation.

The US and UK announced on Sunday they had flown diplomats out of the country.

France, Germany, Italy, and Spain have also been evacuating diplomats and other nationals.

A vicious power struggle between the regular army and a powerful paramilitary force has led to violence across Sudan for more than a week.

US authorities said they had airlifted fewer than 100 people with three Chinook helicopters on Sunday morning in a “fast and clean” operation.

The US embassy in Khartoum is now closed, and a tweet on its official feed says it is not safe enough for the government to evacuate private US citizens.

The UK government managed to airlift British diplomats and their families out of the country in what was described as a “complex and rapid” operation. Foreign Minister James Cleverly said options to evacuate the remaining British nationals in Sudan were “severely limited”.

Several other countries were conducting evacuation operations on Sunday:
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that a plane had arrived in Djibouti carrying French citizens and others on Sunday, while another evacuation took place on Monday, taking the number of people evacuated so far to 388, its government said.

A handful of Dutch citizens left Khartoum on the French plane, while another with people from the Netherlands on board left early on Monday morningGermany’s army said the first of three planes had left Sudan, bound for Jordan, with 101 people on boardItaly and Spain have evacuated citizens – the Spanish mission included citizens from Argentina, Colombia, Ireland, Portugal, Poland, Mexico, Venezuela, and Sudan
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government had evacuated its diplomatic staff.

Turkey – a key player in Sudan – began evacuation efforts by road from the southern city of Wad Medani on Sunday, but plans from one site in Khartoum were postponed after a nearby “explosion”Other countries successfully evacuated people on Saturday. More than 150 people, mostly citizens of Gulf countries, as well as Egypt, Pakistan, and Canada, were evacuated by sea to the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah.

On Sunday, long lines of United Nations vehicles and buses were seen leaving Khartoum heading east towards Port Sudan on the Red Sea, carrying “citizens from all over the world”, a Sierra Leonean evacuee told AFP news agency.

There have been desperate calls for help from many foreign students – from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East – who are also stuck in Khartoum, a city of some six million people.

A Nigerian student association in Sudan called on its government to conduct an “immediate rescue mission”, saying many students had chosen to flee.

Meanwhile, internet monitoring group NetBlocks said Sudan was in the midst of an “internet blackout”, with connectivity at 2% of ordinary levels, which could seriously hinder the coordination of help for those trapped in Khartoum and other cities.

The power struggle has seen heavy bombardment in the capital city, with hundreds killed and thousands more injured.

The near-constant shooting and bombing in Khartoum and elsewhere have cut electricity and safe access to food and water for much of the population.

A ceasefire that had seemingly been agreed upon many times by both sides was ignored, including a three-day pause to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which started on Friday.

On Sunday, the US announced a disaster response team would be sent to the area to “coordinate the humanitarian response for those in need both within and outside of Sudan.”

Samantha Power from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) said the team would work out of Kenya at first, and prioritise getting “life-saving humanitarian assistance to those who need it most.”

The World Health Organization says the fighting has killed more than 400 people and injured thousands. But the death toll is believed to be much higher as people are struggling to get healthcare, as most of the city’s hospitals have been forced to close by the fighting.

Along with Khartoum, the western region of Darfur, where the RSF first emerged, has also been badly affected by the fighting.

The UN has warned that up to 20,000 people – mostly women and children – have fled Sudan to seek safety in Chad, across the border from Darfur.

Over 4000 Nigerians have been stranded in the fierce conflicts – torn Sudan.

A Nigerian student identified as Sofia Idris Sefiu, in a viral video, narrated that the situation was getting worse.

She said: “We fled from Khartoum because my sister was sick and there were no hospitals. We came to the border. On our way, we saw a lot of Sudanese fleeing Khartoum. What of us Nigerian students?

“By 10:00 pm at night, we reached the border of Ethiopia and Sudan in Gallabat. We slept there and yesterday (Saturday), we entered the border.

“Sudanese border immigration said they were going to stamp the exit stamp for us and then, the Ethiopian border said they were not going to let us pass unless we have visas to enter Ethiopia and we didn’t have it.

“The Nigerian embassy inSudan is really trying its best. We talked to them. They sent a letter for us, but the people at the border said they were not going to let us in, unless with a visa.

“They sent us back to Gadarif, another location near the border. We went to the consulate for a visa. They said they were not going to stamp the visa for us; they were only stamping for the Sudanese. Right now we are stranded at Gadarif.”

Sefiu said the Seriki Hausawa of Gadarif, Memataba Haruna, provided them with accommodation as hotels are not available.

“He took us in like his children; he fed us. He gave us a place to sleep, a very peaceful place.

“Right now, today (yesterday) is our third day. We have applied for an online visa. They said it is not going to come out anytime soon because of the Eid holiday. So, we are basically stranded at the border,” she said.

Taiye Atobiloye, a police officer working for the Kwara State Police Command, passed away in a cell at the D Division of the Kogi State Police Command after being detained there for two days for being absent from work at the Zone 8 Command, Lokoja, Kogi State.

PUNCH According to information obtained by Metro, Atobiloye, service number 232980, who was assigned to the Oke Onigbin Division in Kwara State, was posted for a month to the Zone 8 Command for a specific assignment known as Quick Intervention.

After his resumption in Lokoja, the policeman was said to have been absent from duty for two days and was later found.

Our correspondent gathered that as punishment for his absence without permission, Atobiloye was detained in a cell.

A source, while chronicling the circumstances surrounding the incident, said Atobiloye languished in the cell for eight days, adding that the policeman died in detention.

The source said, “What happened was that every month, the Zone 8 Command usually picks policemen from every division and posts them for special duty for a month in Zone 8 Command, Lokoja, and after one month, the policemen will return home.

“So, Atobiloye, who was attached to the Oke Onigbin Division, was part of the policemen posted to the Zone 8 Command, Lokoja, but when he resumed, he didn’t come for work for two days and was punished by being detained in a cell for about eight days.

“It was when policemen checked on him in the cell that they realised he had slumped and died in the cell. At the cell he was detained, only offending policemen are usually detained there, so it is likely he was alone in the cell.”

In a Facebook post regretting the events that took Atobiloye’s life, a relative of the deceased officer, Femi Igbekele, said that attempts by his family members, including his wife, to call him after he went for special duty proved unsuccessful.

The post read in part, “AP No 232980 Inspector Taiye Atobiloye, serving at Kwara State Command, attached to the Oke Onigbin Division was sent to Lokoja Zone 8 on special duty called Quick Intervention.

“For the past eight days, all family members were calling him but no response from his phone number as the phone was ringing but nobody picked, likewise his wife called him and nobody picked (up) the call until the information reached the family that he was detained at the D (Division) Lokoja, and died in the cell.”

When contacted, Ruth Awi, the Zone 8 Command’s spokesperson, verified the development and stated that Atobiloye had reported for special duty at the command but had absconded and was missing for two days before being discovered inebriated by police.

She claimed the officer was held so he could free himself and alleged he passed away while in prison.

She said, “He was not detained at the Zonal Headquarters, he was detained at the D Division in Lokoja. He reported at the Zonal Headquarters and then disappeared into thin air; there are punishments for people who abscond from duty without any excuse. But in his case, he did not only stay away from work, he was drunk when he was found.

“For the effect of the drink to be cleared, the boss said he should stay in the cell for two days until he is fit for interrogation to explain where he went to and where he was coming from. So, he was detained at the D Division for about two or three days after which the news came to us that he gave up.”

The Labour Party has removed itself from a widely circulated letter signed by Lamidi Apapa, the party’s self-declared factional national chairman, asking the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to dismiss all claims made by Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate, against the victory of Bola Tibubu of the All Progressives Congress in the general election on February 25.

According to a statement made available to journalists on Tuesday by the party’s acting National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, on Tuesday, it partly read, “We urged the Tribunal in Abuja to disregard the antics by Apapa, who us a suspended Deputy National Chairman of our party.

“We are by this statement informing all arms of judiciary, including the Tribunals and courts to ignore the ignoble antics of these compromised suspended members of the party.

“We are also calling on the police, DSS and EFCC to arrest these enemies of democracy,” the statement added.

Ifoh spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today, supporting the party’s position, and claimed that Apapa was attempting to undermine Obi’s victory with his conduct.

Ifoh claimed that Apapa is attempting to undermine Obi’s triumph with his behavior in a later interview on Tuesday’s Politics Today program on Channels Television.

“Approaching the tribunals to withdraw all the cases lodged by Labour Party candidates across board is the height of subterfuge and treachery, and Nigerians will resist this ploy to plunge the nation into unnecessary turmoil,” he maintained.

“The leadership of the Labour Party is therefore calling on the tribunals to disregard any letter emanating from our suspended National Legal Adviser, Samuel Akingbade to the effect that all our cases are to be withdrawn.

The party’s acting national chairman, Apapa, has asserted he is the party’s leader, saying, “Since the court had suspended Abure and other national officers, I am the next to take over.”

Candidates who were unable to take the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination on the first day due to technological difficulties will now be able to do so, according to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, or JAMB.

“All candidates, who could not sit the UTME on Tuesday, 25th April, 2023, on account of technical challenges, have been rescheduled”, the board said in a statement, Tuesday evening,” after JAMB management meeting at the close of today’s examination, which incidentally is the first day of the 2023 UTME.”

The statement, released through its Spokesman, Fabian Benjamin, read further:”Following the announcement, candidates, who for technical reasons could not take the examination, are to print a new examination notification early tomorrow morning, Wednesday, 26th April, 2023, to know their new scheduled sessions.

“It is to be noted that about 100 centres out of the 708 centres participating in the 2023 UTME exercise across the country, experienced technical challenges that prevented their allotted candidates from successfully taking their examination.

“The Board reiterated its determination to deploy world-class assessment in line with global best practices to deliver quality assessment and regretted any inconveniences experienced by candidates and their parents.

The statement further restated that the series of challenges encountered were on account of some novel features deployed by the Board to safeguard the sanctity of the examination by checkmating all incidences of examination misconduct being perpetrated and perpetuated by vested interests.

“The Board, therefore, reiterated the commitment of its technical team working round the clock to ensure that tomorrow’s exercise is devoid of any hitches.

“Meanwhile, the Board assures Nigerians that no candidate would be denied the right of taking his/her examination because in case of any challenges experienced, such a candidate would be rescheduled to take the examination in the next available date and space.”

Mr. Ismaila Ojo was found guilty of strangling Kareem Adu to death over a motorcycle and was given a death by hanging sentence by the Ado Ekiti Division of the Ekiti State High Court.

On May 13, 2018, Ojo was accused of murdering a person and was later found guilty.

In the ruling, Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi stated, “It is my determination that the defendant caused the death of the deceased by holding and crushing his neck and throat. I have carefully reviewed and balanced the facts presented before the court.

“On the whole, I find the defendant guilty as charged. You (the defendant) are hereby sentenced to be hanged on the neck until you die,” the judge pronounced.

Inspector Tunde Arowosola, the police prosecutor, had earlier informed the court that Mrs. Agnes Adu had complained to the station that Ismaila Ojo had slain her husband at Odo-Uro as a result of a dispute over ownership and physical altercation involving a Hajue motorcycle.

According to Arowosola, the woman claimed that the defendant (Ojo) had strangled the victim to death.

Also, a police operative, Inspector Lasis Bashiru, who testified before the court, said, “The defendant confessed to the crime that on May 13, 2018, when he was taking his bath inside a bathroom, Adu (the deceased) came to take a motorcycle which he parked in front of his house”.

Bashiru added that “the defendant said that after finishing his bath, he went to Adu’s house and met him sleeping.

“The defendant, however, claimed that he neither intended nor caused Adu’s death as the two of them merely fought while none of them carried or used any weapon or hard object during the fight”, he had told the court.