Human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has faulted the excuses given by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) that caused mass failure of candidates.
Naija News reported that over 300,000 candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), majorly from South East and Lagos State, failed.

According to JAMB’s Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, the failure was caused by a system glitch. He apologized for the errors.

“We appreciate all those who have lent their voices to the strident complaints on the results we released because you all did so out of concern. I appreciate our critics immensely because they could have chosen to be indifferent. I agree with the person who said that the opposite of love isn’t hate, it is indifference; the opposite of art is not ugliness, it is indifference; the opposite of faith is not heresy, it is indifference; and the opposite of life is not death, it is indifference. By not being indifferent to JAMB, we are grateful,” he stated.

Reacting to JAMB’s apology, the Organizing Secretary of Afenifere, Farotimi, stated that if Nigeria were a nation governed by laws, Oloyede and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, would have been fired.

He, however, regretted that Oloyede would not face consequences for the failures.

“In a place governed with vision, inhabited by the rational, and ruled by law, Yakubu would be resident in a prison cell, Oloyede fired, and public hearings would have been scheduled by the government at multiple levels. But this is Nigeria. Nothing will happen. We are different,” he wrote on ? handle.

Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State has sentenced a 27-year-old fashion designer, Haruna Tolani to 12 months imprisonment.

 

Tolani was sentenced for impersonating and defrauding Callitus Egwuonwu, an investigating officer with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ilorin Zonal Directorate. 

The convicted tailor was initially arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on impersonation and cybercrime on January 28, 2025 and pleaded not guilty, but later changed his plea to guilty after overwhelming evidence was presented by counsel to the EFCC, Sesan Ola.

Count one of the charge reads: “That you Haruna Musa Tolani in August, 2024 at Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud, misrepresented yourself via electronic message sent through unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) to Access Bank Plc.

“With respect to account number 0022643389, property of Mr Callistus Egwuonwu, with which you purchased N20,000 worth of MTN data which resulted into loss to the owner of the account and you thereby commit an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 14(2) of the cybercrime (Prohibition and Prevention) Act, 2015”

 

Similarly, count two reads: “That you Haruna Musa Tolani sometime in August, 2024 at Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court fraudulently impersonated one Callistus Egwuonwu via electronic message sent through unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) to Access Bank Plc with respect to account number 0022643389, property of Callistus Egwuonwu with intention to purchase MTN data worth 20,000.00 which you did purchase and thereby committed offence contrary to Section 22(2)(b)(ii) of the cybercrime (Prohibition and Prevention) Act,2015 and punishable under Section 22(2)(b)(iv) of the same Act. 

In his judgment, Justice Awogboro imposed a 12-month custodial sentence on Tolani with an option of a fine of N200,000 .

The court also ordered the forfeiture of a First Bank manager’s cheque of N200,000 in favour of the victim and directed the convict to restitute the sum of N20,000, the amount he fraudulently obtained.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has defended its decision to urgently reschedule the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for 379,997 candidates.

The exam body cited unavoidable clashes with other national examinations and the need to maintain the academic calendar.

The rescheduled exam will start on Friday, May 16, 2025, for 379,997 candidates in five states of the South East and Lagos.

Speaking with THE WHISTLER, the JAMB spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, explained that if the examination were not scheduled at this time, it would conflict with other academic activities.

“If we don’t do it now, it will be in August. The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) are writing their exams. After that, the National Examinations Council (NECO) would start, and then the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB),” Benjamin stated in a response to THE WHISTLER’s enquiry.

THE WHISTLER reported that Nigerians condemned the short notice given to candidates, citing concerns about the candidates’ ability to prepare for the exam adequately.

Some suggested that the exam should have been suspended until after the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to give candidates more time to prepare.

Others expressed concerns about Nigeria’s economic hardship, as some students might have to travel to different locations to take the examination.

The Aguleri community in Anambra State was thrown into shock on Thursday after gunmen ambushed and shot dead a lawyer, Rolex Iloakasia, who also served as the community’s president general.

Iloakasia and his client were attacked by armed assailants on motorcycles shortly after winning their case at High Court II in Ekwulobia.

The attack occurred at Egbebelu village in Orumba North Local Government Area as the victims were leaving the court.

The timing of the attack, after Iloakasia’s court victory, has raised questions about the motives of the assailants.

The Anambra police spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident in an official statement, saying it involved “the murder of two individuals, one of whom has been identified as a legal practitioner who had earlier secured the bail of an accused person in a pending murder case at High Court II, Ekwulobia.“

Police preliminary investigation disclosed that the victims were “trailed and double-crossed by the assailants.”

The command said that “one of the victims survived the attack and is currently receiving medical treatment at a hospital.”

The statement noted that “The escapee has been debriefed by the Police and has provided crucial information that is aiding ongoing investigations and manhunt operations.

“The bodies of the deceased have been recovered and positively identified by their respective families.”

The statement revealed that a red Toyota Camry vehicle, believed to belong to one of the deceased, was recovered from the scene.

The command plans to deploy “tactical and intelligence teams to track down the perpetrators and ensure justice is served.”

It further pledged to inform the public on developments as the investigation progresses.

Economist and political activist Professor Pat Utomi has reacted to the legal action initiated against him by the Department of State Services (DSS) following his decision to form a shadow government.

 

Vanguard had earlier reported that on May 5, Utomi launched the ‘Big Tent Coalition Shadow Government’, designed to serve as a credible opposition to President Bola Tinubu’s administration. 

According to Utomi, the new body draws its membership from a cross-section of Nigeria’s opposition parties and is tasked with regularly scrutinising government actions, identifying policy failures, and proposing alternative solutions in key areas including the economy, education, healthcare, infrastructure, law and order, and constitutional reform.

In response, the DSS dragged Utomi to court, and accused the candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in the 2007 presidential election, of attempting to illegally usurp the executive powers of President Bola Tinubu.

It told the court that Prof. Utomi’s action was capable of destabilising the country as it was intended to create chaos.

In a post shared on his X account on Friday, Utomi dismissed the allegations and said he remains resolute in his commitment to democratic ideals.

“I am heartened by messages of solidarity from across Nigeria on this shadowy business of chasing shadows of shadow cabinets. Reminds me of the Nigeria I used to know. I want to thank all. It’s energizing some want to put together 500 lawyers to defend me against the DSS.

“To worship money and power at the expense of the future all our children will live in, with no care for the peace and progress of those times is condemnable by all of decent conscience. They have a moral obligation to push back on such darkness.

“It’s amazing that we are chasing shadows while our constitution is unraveling aided by those in power. The constitution holds that those who defect from parties they were elected from MUST have their seats declared vacant. If DSS enjoys going to court, it should prosecute such.”

 

In earlier posts, Utomi, referencing his past involvement in pro-democracy efforts during the Sani Abacha regime, recalled chairing a conference on Nigeria’s democratic future at St. Leo’s in Ikeja, Lagos.

He wrote, “It was put as a question: Is this how democracy dies in Nigeria. The answer is in the affirmative. This is how democracy died in Nigeria. Where citizens cannot organize themselves to ask questions of their agents.

“Under Abacha we brought Nigerians together at St. Leo in Ikeja for a conference on the future of Nigeria. I chaired the planning which came out of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria on the watch of then Fr. Kukah and Ehusani. Now for shadowing democracy hell comes.

“Where am I? Will arrive on June 12 and head to Abiola’s residence. My hands are primed for handcuffs and if the Aquino treatment from Marcos, bullet at the Airport is preferred, I submit willing like a lamb led to slaughter. Death is no big deal. 4 of my friends are in the morgue.

“What is certain is that Tinubu will not escape that same fate. He may have been in London when I faced the assassins under Abacha and been the supplier to Chief Enahoro and NADECO abroad of reports of my position on matters of the struggle but we all ultimately go the way of man.”

 

Utomi compared his stance to that of global freedom icons like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King Jr., insisting he would continue to fight for democratic accountability.

“To the Spirit of Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jnr, Nelson Mandela and the holy watch of St. Thomas Moore I raise the meaning of being for what is left of my time on this stage,” he wrote.

“I remember the showman of Science, Carl Sagan, as the NASA orbiter turned its camera to earth for the final time. A spec of dust, home to tyrants who have threatened Rivers of Blood; and also to all those we have loved. I am emboldened to chant Freedom now, if we die we die.”

A socio-political group, Abia Concerned Citizens, ACC, has accused the Julius Abure faction of the Labour Party, LP, of playing a script written for it by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to destabilize opposition parties in order to enjoy a free reign 

The group specifically accused the factional chairman of playing the role of an “APC mole.” 

Director General of the ACC, Rose Ugoh, said this in Abuja, yesterday.

She explained that evidence of Abure’s treachery is contained in virtually every line of a statement by the factional National Secretary, Alhaji Umar Ibrahim, wherein he begged President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the LP crisis.

Ugoh  argued that all genuine LP members had accepted the Supreme Court’s judgment and were working towards reconciliation but that Abure and his cohorts were working towards destroying the party by externalizing the conflict.

She said: “What steps did he (Abure) take when Labour Party National Assembly members defected to the APC?

“Is it not this the same Abure who had the audacity to claim the party suspended the best performing governor in Nigeria, the best governor in the history of the South Est?

“Governor Alex Otti has transformed Abia State, leading in key sectors such as energy, security, and education.

“Otti has become a model for good governance in Nigeria, transforming Abia State across the energy sector, economy, industrialization, security, education, and more.

 

“We Abians can no longer allow these APC agents to continue to denigrate the people’s governor with their unguarded statements.”

She raised concerns about Abure’s declaration that his National Working Committee, NWC, has suspended key figures of the party, including the female Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Senator Ireti Kingibe.

Officers of the Delta State Police Command have nabbed a 49-year-old woman accused of drugging a nursing mother and absconding with her two-month-old baby boy.

The Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Olufemi Abaniwonda, disclosed this during a press briefing at the Command headquarters in Asaba on Thursday.

He confirmed that the baby had been rescued and reunited with his family.

 



According to Abaniwonda, the incident occurred on February 16, 2025, when the victim, a 20-year-old mother, embarked on a business trip from Koko to Warri with a woman identified as Mrs. Joy.

"On 7th April 2025 at about 10:00 hours, the DPO of Ekpan Police Station received a complaint that a young mother who travelled with one Mrs. Joy had been drugged with juice laced with sedatives. The suspect then absconded with her two-month-old son while she was unconscious," the police chief stated.

Acting on credible intelligence, the Ekpan Police Division launched an investigation that led to the arrest of the suspect.

Abaniwonda said the woman confessed during interrogation to kidnapping the infant.

"The baby, now five months old, was found in good health and has been handed back to his parents," he added.

The suspect remains in police custody as investigations continue.

New details have emerged about the technical error that affected the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has revealed that the issue was caused by a service provider’s mistake, not by ethnicity or sabotage.

Speaking during an X Spaces session, JAMB spokesperson Fabian Benjamin dismissed claims that the error was aimed at candidates from the Southeast.

“It’s unfortunate. It’s something that we never envisaged,” he said.

Benjamin explained that the technical glitch was the result of a simple but serious mistake by a service provider hired by the board.

“What really happened? Let me just put it this way. Somebody was supposed to upload something, just as you send an email with your laptop and you see a sign that says sent and then you closed the laptop. The person just sent without waiting for it to deliver and then he shut down and left. This person, technically, is not even a staff of the board, but he’s a service provider that the board had hired, paid huge sum of money to do what he was supposed to do. I’m not supposed to go deep because it’s as if one is shifting responsibility,” he explained.

Benjamin stressed that the incident was not deliberate, but simply due to lack of caution.

“It was just carelessness, he didn’t understand the responsibility that was placed on his shoulder. It’s unfortunate that this thing happened and a section of the country was involved. It’s unfortunate that, to some extent, it will begin to cast some aspersion on our area of operation,” he added.

He also rejected claims that the issue reflected poorly on the leadership of JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede.

According to Benjamin, Professor Oloyede is known for being extremely involved in all aspects of the board’s operations.

“Someone of us feel like he’s too involved. He’s somebody that would want to know who even comes in at the gate. He’s involved in every aspect of the board. So the issue of whether incompetence or carelessness is not there. It’s just that no matter how involving you are, no matter how competent you are and no matter how engaging you are, as long as you cannot do the whole thing alone, certainly, somebody somewhere will let you down out of negligence,” he said.

Recall that in the 2025 JAMB UTME released last week Friday, over 1.5 million candidates scored below 200. This represents over 75% of the total number of candidates who sat for the exam. Following a review of the results, it was discovered that a technical error affected approximately 379,997 candidates, who will now have to retake the exam.

The trial of Simon Ekpa, the Biafran separatist leader, has commenced in Finland.

Ekpa was earlier arrested by the Finnish authorities over allegations of inciting violence and promoting terrorism through his social media channels.


He was arrested in November 2024 alongside four other people accused of the same crime.

In a statement issued by Finland’s National Prosecution Authority, Ekpa’s trial commenced after he was charged with suspected incitement with intent to commit terrorism and “participation in the activities of a terrorist group.”


The Finnish prosecutor said Ekoa had committed the listed crimes between 2021 and 2024 in the city of Lahti.

Although the prosecutor in its statement described the accused person as a Finn without giving out his name, YLE, a broadcaster in Finland, identified the defendant as Ekpa.

In addition, the prosecutor said it had dropped the charges against the four others arrested alongside Ekpa.

The Finnish authorities said the charges against the co-accused persons were dropped due to a lack of evidence.

Popular Nollywood actor and Lagos lawmaker, Desmond Elliot, has revealed that his entry into politics was made possible through the influence of former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, who introduced him to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

 

Speaking in an interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, Elliot detailed how Oshiomhole facilitated his first meeting with Tinubu in Benin, marking a major turning point in his career trajectory.

 

“One day, Comrade Oshiomhole told me Asiwaju (Tinubu) was coming to Benin. When he arrived, Adams took me to the table where Tinubu was seated and said, ‘This is my son.’ Tinubu replied, ‘Yeah, he knows me.’ That was how the connection began,” Elliot recalled.

 

The Surulere Constituency representative at the Lagos State House of Assembly added that Tinubu, impressed by his passion and commitment despite his successful acting career, linked him up with Sunday Dare, then Tinubu’s personal assistant.

 

“He was surprised that a young actor like me was so interested in politics. For some reason, he liked me from the start,” he said.

 

Desmond Elliot revealed that his interest in politics dates back to the 1990s, when he began reading about Chief MKO Abiola.

 

Inspired by Abiola’s legacy, he said the desire to serve in public office began to grow within him.

 

“Even though I didn’t have much, I always bought newspapers to read about MKO. Something about his story just lit a fire in me,” he said.

 

He also acknowledged Fouad Oki, a prominent APC figure, for mentoring him during his early political development.

 

He said: “While I was still acting, I would visit Uncle Fouad in the evenings to discuss politics. That was part of my learning curve. My wife didn’t take it seriously then.”

 

Elliot shared a memorable visit to Tinubu’s home alongside fellow actors Jide Kosoko, Mike Ezuruonye, and Chinedu ‘Aki’ Ikedieze.

 

“We went to his house around 7 pm and didn’t leave until after midnight. He was sharing insights and lessons from his time in government. We were amazed,” he said.

 

The lawmaker also addressed his 2023 election battle with fellow actor Olumide Oworu, who ran under the Labour Party banner.

 

“I wasn’t angry with Olumide. He’s smart and from Surulere. What hurt was the colleagues who endorsed him without even speaking to me,” he said.

 

Elliot stressed the importance of continuity in legislative work, citing former Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila as an example of how experience builds capacity.

 

“You don’t see real change in one term. Gbaja grew in influence with time, and that’s how you build lasting impact,” he noted.