Adeola, the 41-year-old daughter of veteran Yoruba actress Jumoke George, has been found in Mali after being declared missing for four years.

Jumoke had earlier revealed the disappearance during an interview on the Talk to B show hosted by actress Abiola Bayo. She stated that Adeola had been living with her grandmother in Ibadan and was last seen after informing the family she was travelling to Lagos.

According to Jumoke, Adeola later made contact, asked for forgiveness, and explained she had travelled out of the country with friends in search of better opportunities.

In the same interview, Jumoke disclosed that she had been battling serious health and financial issues. She said her condition had prevented her from honouring acting jobs, leading her to refund payments and borrow funds for medical treatment. She noted that further medical tests were required, with an estimated cost of N400,000.

She explained that any money she earned from occasional jobs was spent on efforts to find her missing daughter.

Speaking in tears on the TalkToB show hosted by fellow actress, Abiola Adebayo, Jumoke said she hid her predicament due to shame and fear of public ridicule.

She said, “There are some things that are embarrassing to say but at this point, I have no choice. I want to speak out. I am working but it’s not like I get jobs every time. 

“Sometimes, it could be once in three to four months. That was before I became ill. After I became ill, I couldn’t go for a set I was invited to. Someone paid me last year, I didn’t know I would get sick, I spent the money on treatment. I had to borrow money to refund the person.

“I went to another location but I couldn’t work. They had to bring me back because of my health. I’ve done several tests. I was told to do some more which will cost about N400,000. I don’t know where to get the money from.”

“My first child, Adeola, has been missing. I’ve been looking for her for the past four years. Any small money I get from working was spent on looking for her.

“She was in Ibadan where she was working and living with my mother. So my mother just called me one day to say that she hasn’t seen Deola who said she was coming to meet me in Lagos. I said I haven’t seen her,” Jumoke recalled.

In an update shared on Wednesday, Talk to B host Biola Bayo revealed Adeola had been found in Mali. She said she spoke with Adeola via video call and although the daughter had not yet spoken directly with her mother, Jumoke was relieved to know she was alive.

Biola also confirmed that Jumoke George is currently receiving treatment at a state hospital in Lagos and is awaiting further medical evaluation.

Sharing the details of her video call with Adeola on Instagram, Biola Bayo said “I finally got to speak with Adeola and this is what she said. She hasn’t called her mom, but Mom is happy she’s alive. 

“#Jumoke George is currently at a state hospital in Lagos.

“Hopefully she will be discharged or admitted after all her medical tests and reports. Not sure yet. Thank you to everyone for the support”.

Watch video below:

Details have emerged on how Monalisa Stephen, a Nigerian filmmaker popularly known as Gabacci, died.

The news of her death was confirmed on Wednesday by Seun Oloketuyi, founder of the Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards.

According to Oloketuyi, Monalisa passed away on Tuesday in Lagos due to complications arising from low blood sugar and internal bleeding.

Her family and management have yet to release an official statement concerning her passing or the funeral arrangements.

Gabacci was a dynamic presence in Nigeria’s entertainment scene. Over her decade-long career, she thrived as a content creator, fashion designer, and filmmaker.

She was best known for producing Fatabulous, an award-winning film that gained international acclaim at the Saskatchewan International Film Festival in Canada, winning awards for Best Cinematography and Best Actress.

Beyond the screen, Monalisa founded the LYF Movement — a support network for women and individuals grappling with depression, self-esteem issues, and body image struggles.

A staunch mental health advocate, she once described herself as “a firm believer in making positive impacts for the world to be a better place.”

In 2022, Monalisa opened up about contemplating suicide after enduring body-shaming at a public event.

“These moments before my departure, I feel more clarity than I have ever felt, finally, I will be free. I will be free from the voices, from the pains, and from you,” she had written.

“I can’t stand betrayals. I trust too much and too quickly. This is not what I want but I can’t help it, I am just too weak. So I quit.”

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has rescheduled another Unified Tertiary and Matriculation Examination for 379,997 candidates in the five states of the South East and Lagos.

The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, made this known in an ongoing press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.

Oloyede, who took responsibility for the errors, said the affected candidates will start getting text messages from the Board starting Thursday.

“The affected candidates will start getting text messages for rescheduling starting from tomorrow. I apologise; I take full responsibility.”

JAMB’s decision to reschedule the exam comes as thousands of candidates reportedly filed a class-action lawsuit against the Board over alleged irregularities.

Candidates claimed they experienced technical issues and inconsistent question displays during the exam.

The controversy escalated after JAMB released statistics showing over 1.5 million out of 1.9 million candidates scored below 200 out of 400 marks, sparking widespread concern and outrage on social media.

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, has said President Bola Tinubu has done well in his two years of governance.

Bagudu stated this in a feature interview for an upcoming TV documentary marking President Tinubu’s second anniversary.

The Minister declared that the government’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” is working and winning over investors at home and abroad.

“This is two years well spent. Mr President confronted Nigeria’s economic realities with bold and necessary choices—tough as they might be—and those measures are now yielding results,” he said.

In a statement on Wednesday from the President’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, Bagudu stated that the reform-driven economy has seen four consecutive quarters of GDP growth, exchange rate stability, and a resurgence in private sector confidence.

“We have seen four quarters of successive economic growth, stability in foreign exchange, and appreciation by Nigerians and the international community. Rating agencies have consistently appreciated what we are doing,” he stated.

According to him, foreign and domestic investors have responded positively to the government’s economic agenda, particularly in agriculture, energy, and infrastructure.

“We have seen investors from Brazil, Belarus, and Saudi Arabia increasingly entering our agricultural space. The world economic community and multilateral institutions are putting more faith in our economy,” he said.

Bagudu said the renewed interest stems from the administration’s commitment to credibility, transparency, and structural change.

“Investors want to see good policy—can I get paid back? Are the numbers credible? Is the environment transparent? That’s why they appreciate when they see quarterly GDP growth.

“For the first time in 25 years, Nigeria is refining oil. Mr President was courageous enough to allow crude sale in naira to our refiners. This is a testament to his belief in our economy,” he argued.

Bagudu described removing fuel subsidies and unifying the foreign exchange market as transformative decisions restoring fiscal sanity.

“We were losing 5% of our GDP on fuel subsidy—money going to just a few. Mr. President took the courageous step to end it.

“The foreign exchange reform removed uncertainty and favouritism. We now have a fair market—willing buyer, willing seller—which has generated revenue growth and boosted private sector confidence,” he insisted.

Bagudu said the 2024 and 2025 budgets balance fiscal responsibility and strategic investment in priority sectors.

“We have increased spending in health, education, infrastructure, security, and technology. The 2024 budget achieved significant deficit reduction, and more importantly, it showed that we are serious—and the markets believed us,” he said.

He emphasised President Tinubu’s respect for the rule of law, even in managing inherited debt and Central Bank financing.

“Mr President inherited ₦22.7 trillion in Ways and Means financing, but he insisted on respecting the Central Bank’s independence. That discipline is earning us credibility globally,” he emphasized.

The Minister credited the Presidential Economic Coordination Council and the Economic Management Team-led by President Tinubu and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Wale Edun, with ensuring coherent, results-driven governance.

“This is teamwork. The President is the chief coordinator. He understands the global economic context, and the private sector respects him. We’re not just doing government-to-government coordination—the private sector is part of this reform effort,” he added.

While acknowledging that the reforms may feel challenging in the short term, Bagudu likened the process to a necessary fitness regimen.

“Our economy is like a body going to the gym. It might feel painful now, but the muscles of progress are forming.

“Mr President is saying: ‘I’m ready to take the pain so our children and grandchildren will inherit a more prosperous Nigeria.’ This isn’t just economic reform—it’s a moral responsibility,” Bagudu added.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has removed Elie Bitar, a foreign national, from the wanted list for crypto bridge exchange (CBEX) fraud.

On April 30, the anti-graft agency declared Bitar wanted over the alleged fraud perpetrated on the CBEX trading platform.

The EFCC published the wanted notice across social media platforms.

In the now-deleted notice, the anti-graft agency mentioned Bitar’s age as 41, while his last known address is at “Eng. George Enemoh Crescent, Lekki Phase 1, Lekki, Lagos State”.

In April, reports emerged that CBEX users could no longer withdraw their funds, after which many Nigerians who had invested in the platform reportedly lost their funds.

The anti-graft agency had previously declared eight Nigerians wanted for the alleged CBEX fraud. The suspects are Adefowora Abiodun Olanipekun, Adefowora Oluwanisola, Emmanuel Uko, Seyi Oloyede, Johnson Okiroh Otieno, Israel Mbaluka, Joseph Michiro Kabera, and Serah Michiro.

Recently, the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) published a report stating that the EFCC had erroneously declared Bitar wanted because the name of his company — CBEX Solutions Limited — is similar to the fraudulent scheme.

Bitar co-founded CBEX Solutions Limited, a company focused on conducting retail studies for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies.

However, in a statement issued on Wednesday, Dele Oyewale, EFCC spokesperson, said Bitar’s name has been removed from the wanted list, citing the availability of new information.

“Ellie Bitar of CBEX Solutions Ltd., who was earlier declared wanted, has since been removed from the list owing to new information that does not support his inclusion in the wanted person’s list,” the statement reads.

“The Commission is making good progress in its investigations. Law enforcement agencies across the world are collaborating with it in tracking and arresting all the wanted persons. The EFCC will not relent in bringing every actor involved in the fraudulent dealings to book.”

Oyewale said the anti-graft agency is “gaining important ground” in the search for the eight persons declared wanted over the CBEX fraud.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) chapter, has threatened legal action against the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) over the widespread failure recorded in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The Chairman of ASUU-UNN, Comrade Óyibo Eze, made the disclosure while briefing newsmen in Nsukka on Wednesday.

Oyibo said the massive failure which mostly affected candidates from the South East, was a deliberate attempt by JAMB to stop children from the zone from getting admission.

“My office has been inundated with protests, calls and visits by parents and the general public on this deliberate massive failure in 2025 JAMB examination.

“ASUU will challenge this result in High Court if JAMB fails to review the result and give candidates their merited scores .

“JAMB knows that children from South East must score higher before they can get admission whereas their counterparts in some parts of the country will use 120 JAMB score to get admission to read medicine in universities in their area.

“In the JAMB recently released result, out of 1,955,069 candidates who sat for the 2025 examination, over 1.5 million candidates scored less than 200 and majority of these are from the South East and Lagos State where many Igbos reside,” he said.

He called on governors from the South East to rise up and challenge this injustice targeted towards preventing children from the zone from gaining admission into higher institutions in the country.

“The governors in the zone should not sit and watch JAMB toy with academic future of our children.

” I am not against the board punishing those found guilty of exam malpractice but JAMB should not, because of these few candidates, fail the whole candidates in an exam centre,” he said.

The ASUU boss said that it was unbelievable and unacceptable that in the whole University Secondary School, Nsukka, no candidate that sat for the exam scored up to 200 in the UTME.

“This school has superlative students who have excelled in academics both inside and outside the school, how come all of them scored less than 200 in the exam.

“Even if JAMB discovered one or two candidates for exam malpractice, is that enough reason to fail all others who have prepared very hard for that exam,” he said.

Oyibo advised JAMB to act fast to do the needful by reviewing the result as that massive failure had become a national issue which might attract national protest if nothing urgent was done.

There is tension in parts of Ogun and Lagos states over rumours that there is deadly rice in circulation.

Parents and relatives send voice messages to their loved ones, warning them against buying or consuming rice at this time because a foreign trader had invoked the spirit of Ogun deity after her two trucks of rice were stolen and smuggled into Nigeria.

In various voice notes forwarded to our correspondent, the speakers maintained that two trucks of rice were stolen from a neighbouring country and were later smuggled into Nigeria through the Idiroko border and the Seme border.

It was stated that the owner of the bags of rice, a woman, contacted some Ogun worshipers in Ghana to lay curses on whoever buys or consumes the alleged stolen rice.

In a voice note, it was rumoured that some Customs officers and a soldier had died in Badagry, Lagos State.

It was also alleged by another sender on WhatsApp that over 70 persons had died in the past few days after buying or consuming the said rice.

Imported rice from the Benin Republic remains one of the most consumed staples in Nigeria, especially by children and the youth.

As the warnings keep getting to people in Ogun and Lagos, they pass the same to their loved ones, emphasising to them that rice must not be consumed or bought at this time.

A resident in the Ipokia Local Government of Ogun State, Morayo, told our correspondent on Wednesday that some parents went to schools, telling the food vendors not to sell rice to their children.

As some individuals tried to debunk the rumour, more voice notes came from different people, claiming their alleged confirmation of the deaths.

This has left many confused as to whether to buy rice or not.

However, the Nigerian Customs Service in Lagos and Ogun debunked the claims, saying there was no deadly rice in circulation.

In a statement by the NCS, Seme Area Command, Public Relations Officer, Isah Sulaiman, said the narrative was entirely false, misleading, and did not reflect the reality of the matter.

“The attention of the Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Area command, has been drawn to a widely circulated unfounded and baseless allegation claiming that the Command seized and distributed bags of rice without the knowledge of the purported owner, who then allegedly invoked traditional powers leading to the death of individuals, including a soldier at Badagry.

“The command wishes to categorically state that this narrative is entirely false, misleading, and does not reflect the reality of the matter,” the statement said.

It disclosed that the command had always adhered to NCS Standard Operating Procedures for disposing of seized goods, which is guided by transparency, due process, and strict adherence to extant laws and guidelines.

“It is instructive to say that no incident within the Command’s Area of Responsibility or among personnel corroborates the false claims of deaths resulting from rice consumption linked to the NCS.

“Unfortunately, some unscrupulous elements wearing the garment of journalism (a credible profession) to disinform members of the public with baseless, fictitious and malicious accusations to score cheap points instead of the social responsibility they are supposed to uphold,” the command added.

The NCS urged the general public to disregard this “unfounded story and refrain from spreading false information that could incite fear or tarnish the image of the security agencies working tirelessly to safeguard the nation.”

Our correspondent learnt that rumour has spread to Abeokuta, Ibadan, and other states, creating fears among rice consumers.

A technical review conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has revealed that a critical oversight in server updates, coupled with human error, led to the invalidation of results for 379,997 candidates in the five states of the South East and Lagos State who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

JAMB partnered with the Educare Technical Team, an independent tech partner, to verify the scale of the impact. Data was gathered from over 18,000 candidates, and after cleansing, about 15,000 authentic response logs were analysed.

The revelation was made during a high-level technical review session held on Wednesday at JAMB’s headquarters in Abuja.

The emergency meeting, chaired by JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, was convened in response to the widespread outcry that followed the release of unusually low scores from the 2025 UTME the previous Friday.

Data revealed that over 1.5million candidates out of the 1.9million candidates, whose results were released by the board, scored less than 200 marks.

According to the report, the error was rooted in the uneven deployment of a critical server patch required to support major innovations introduced in this year’s UTME.

While these upgrades were correctly applied to servers in the Kaduna (KAD) cluster, they were not deployed to the Lagos (LAG) cluster, which services Lagos and the South-East region.

This led to widespread mismatches in answer interpretation and validation.

“Over 14,000 of those records were traced to the affected centres under the LAG server cluster,” the report confirmed, adding that internal and external audits showed significant overlap in results, supporting the conclusion of systemic malfunction.

“As a result, approximately 92 centres in the South-East and 65 centres in Lagos — totalling 157 centres — operated using outdated server logic that could not appropriately handle the new answer submission/marking structure. This affected an estimated 379,997 candidates, whose results were severely impacted due to system mismatches during answer validation,” the report stated.

It added, “This review, conducted with thoroughness and transparency, signifies JAMB’s resolve to uphold the sanctity of its examination processes. Going forward, stronger deployment validation protocols and real-time monitoring mechanisms will be implemented to prevent such oversights.

“In summary, JAMB opened its systems to independent reviews to restore public confidence and ensure the reliability of the UTME for all stakeholders. And we hereby report, that this incident was neither a system failure nor administrative manipulation, but an outright human error.”

Speaking during the press briefing in Abuja, Oloyede broke down in tears while addressing issues surrounding the results, admitting that the errors were caused by a systemic failure.

He stated that the affected 379,997 candidates would resit the examination.

“In simple terms, while 65 centres (206,610) were affected in Lagos Zone (comprising only Lagos), 92 centres (173,387) were affected in Owerri Zone, which includes the South East states.

“In clear terms, in the process of rectifying this issue, the technical personnel deployed by the service provider inadvertently failed to update some of the delivery services. Regrettably, this oversight went undetected prior to the release of the results.”

Speaking further, Oloyede noted that the board was able to isolate the affected centres, adding that a resit would be organised for the affected candidates.

“We have decided that all the candidates affected in the 157 centres out of 882 centres will be contacted to retake their examinations starting from Friday, May 16, 2025. These candidates are to be contacted through text messages addressed to their registered phones,” the JAMB boss added.

“I understand that there are three powerful expressions which contain one word, two words and three words respectively. They are please, thank you and I am sorry. So, I appeal to the candidates and those affected by the error of our system to accept this explanation as the truth of the matter without embellishment, PLEASE. I apologise and take full responsibility, not just in words.

“Then, I want to say a big THANK YOU to the Honourable Minister of Education for his unwavering belief in JAMB and what the board stands for. I also appreciate all officers and officials who believe in us for their goodwill in the face of this challenge. We have vowed to uphold integrity as the abiding philosophy of JAMB and we won’t waver or depart from it despite the fact that we are not infallible. I am equally grateful to all stakeholders who have lent us their support and expertise in arriving at a logical conclusion that we have arrived at. And for the inconveniencies, once again, on behalf of JAMB, I say, I AM SORRY to all Nigerians.”

However, calls for the resignation of the JAMB registrar heightened on Wednesday following the revelation.

An education analyst, Jacob Sule, who posted on X via his account @jacobsule asked that the registrar stepped aside.

“A country should not be governed by emotions or personal sentiments. Given the circumstances, the Registrar, Professor Oloyede, should be asked to step aside immediately to allow for a full scale independent and transparent investigation.

“Additionally, the Registrar must publicly retract his earlier statements and issue a formal apology to the affected students who have endured undue stress and discomfort. Accountability and empathy are essential in restoring public trust in our institutions.”

Samoal Fred, also on X, stated, “Instead of shedding crocodile tears, while some irresponsible adults applauded in the audience, Prof. Oloyede should have tendered his resignation.  That was the least he could have done.”

Ajao Olumota, who posted via @MrGatsby, added, “Oloyede should please resign. This is disgraceful from him.”

Funsho Olushola, who posted on X via @abolajijnr, said, “Someone lost her life already. Oloyede should be in jail already. Everyone responsible should resign and face the law. Inept organization.”

Meanwhile, angry parents of underage candidates demanded that their children’s results be released by the board.

One of the parents, who identified herself simply as Mr. Ashaolu, told The PUNCH in Abuja, “We don’t understand why the board has refused to release the results of the under 16 candidates. Why subject these candidates to trauma? They sat the examinations and should have access to their results.”

Mrs Abiodun Ashimolowo added, “My daughter has been bothered. Why will you hold unto their results because they are underage? Where in the world is that done?”

Also, the President, Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Danjuma Haruka, commended Oloyede for openly admitting to the technical glitches that affected the UTME candidates.

Haruka praised Oloyede’s honesty and called on other government agencies to emulate such transparency.

“I commend him for his openness in admitting that a mistake was made. I wish all arms of government would follow the example set by Professor Oloyede,” he said.

However, the PTA is demanding further clarity on the nature of the errors that disrupted the examination.

“Were these computer errors? What specific mistakes were identified? As parents, we would like to see the list of affected candidates so we can be assured that the fault does not lie with our children,” Haruka added.

Describing the incident as damaging to the country’s global image, the PTA boss emphasised the need for JAMB to ensure such disruptions do not occur again. He also called for detailed communication from the board to help reassure concerned parents and students.

“We are ready to accept his apology in good faith, but we need clarity — what went wrong and what has been corrected. Many of the candidates were unprepared or struggled with computer use, but it is important to confirm that the children were not at fault,” Haruka stated.

Meanwhile, The PUNCH learnt that the error was initially discovered on April 25.

It was discovered that there were omissions in the items within the ‘Lagos category’, a code for southern states – excluding the six south south states – but including Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Niger, Kogi and the Federal Capital Territory.

Findings revealed that an update for correction and grading adjustment was instantly made and it was tested on Saturday, April 26; Sunday, April 27 and Monday, April 28.

Following the massive failure experienced by candidates in the recently conducted 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened legal action against the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

Oyibo Eze, the chairman of the University of Nigeria Nsukka chapter of ASUU, on Wednesday, said the union might be left with no option but to sue JAMB over the conduct and processing of the UTME results.

Speaking during a press briefing, Eze noted that the majority of those affected in the released UTME results are candidates from the Southeast region.

He alleged the examination body’s action is aimed at deliberately sabotaging the desire of these candidates to gain admission into tertiary institutions.

“My office has been inundated with protests, calls and visits by parents and the general public on this deliberate massive failure in the 2025 JAMB examination.

“ASUU will challenge this result in the High Court if JAMB fails to review the result and give candidates their merited scores.

“JAMB knows that children from the South East must score higher before they can get admission, whereas their counterparts in some parts of the country will use a 120 JAMB score to get admission to read medicine in universities in their area,” Eze said.

The ASUU leader further called on the governors of the states in the region to stand up to the occasion and challenge the injustice against the candidates from the region