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The National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the results of the 2023 internal Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE), with a record of 61.60 per cent of candidates scoring five credits and above, including English and Mathematics.

The examination council also accused 93 schools of whole-school (mass) cheating, while 52 supervisors were recommended for blocklisting due to poor supervision, aiding, and abetting during the examinations.

The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, disclosed this while announcing the release of the examination results.

Wushishi said that the erring schools would be invited to the council for discussion, after which appropriate sanctions would be applied.

He said that 1,196,985 candidates, representing 616,398 males and 580,587 females, sat for the examinations, and an additional 1,543 candidates with special needs.

“The number of candidates with Special Needs is 1,542, which includes 913 candidates with hearing impairment, 162 candidates with visual impairment, 103 candidates with Albanism, 61 candidates with Autism, 149 candidates with low vision, and 154 candidates with Adermatoglyphia which are candidates with no fingerprints.

“737,308 representing 61.60 per cent of candidates passed with five Credits and above, 1,013,611 representing 84.68 per cent of candidates had five Credits irrespective of English and Mathematics,” he stated.

A Nigerian Army Special Court-martial sitting in Abuja has sentenced a former Group Managing Director of Nigerian Army Properties Limited, Maj.-Gen. Umar Mohammed to five years in jail for stealing funds belonging to the organisation.

LEADING REPORTERS gathered that Mohammed was found guilty of 14 out of 18 charges bordering on forgery, misappropriation of funds, and conspiracy.

The eight-man panel led by Maj.-Gen. James Myam explained that the prosecution counsels called 24 witnesses, while the defendant called two witnesses.

Myam stated that count one was brought under section 383(1) of the Criminal Code Act Cap c38 law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and punishable under section 390 (7), adding the charge was also brought pursuant to section 114 of the armed forces Act Cap A20 2004.

The court ordered that Mohammed refund some of the stolen funds into the account of NAPL. The sentences are subject to the confirmation of the “confirming authority.”

Mohammed had been in the detention facility of the Nigerian Army at Mogadishu cantonment, Abuja, for over two years prior to his sentencing.

Popular singer, Raoul John Njeng-Njeng, better known as Skales, has cried out that he is being threatened for speaking out against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, after he was recently oppressed by its operatives.

Leading Reporters learnt that the singer recently called out EFCC, claiming heavily armed operatives of the agency broke into his house and wrongly accused him of being a fraudster.

He said they oppressed him in the presence of his wife and six-month-old daughter, stressing that he had a panic attack because of some health issues he is dealing with.

He also said his producer was injured by the EFCC operatives.

Taking to his X handle on Tuesday morning, Skales said his life was under threat following his revelation of his ordeal in the hands of EFCC operatives.

The ‘Shake Body’ crooner wrote, “I was just threatened for speaking out now.”

Popular Nigerian Afrobeat star Davido and his wife Chioma have welcomed a set of twins, according to multiple reports.

The couple, who lost their son Ifeanyi in a tragic drowning accident last year, welcomed the twins on Monday night.

The news was first confirmed by Evangelist Gospel Agochukwu on Tuesday morning, who shared a screenshot of a chat he had with Davido on the official Facebook page of his church.

In the chat, Davido confirmed to the cleric that his prophecy last year had come to pass.

Recall that Agochukwu had in November 2022 revealed that God told him that Davido and Chioma would welcome twins after the death of Ifeanyi.

Both Davido and Chioma have yet to comment on the development. However, there were previous reports, months back, of Chioma being pregnant.

For stealing hospital beds, the Akwa Ibom State High Court, Eket local government area jurisdiction, has sentenced a medical doctor, one Nwaopara Adolphus Uche, to two years’ imprisonment.

 They were stolen from Immanuel General Hospital and Immanuel Psychiatric Hospital in Eket local government area of Akwa Ibom State and converted them to his private clinic.

 Uche, according to the particulars of the case, is said to have used his position as the Medical Superintendent of Immanuel Psychiatric Hospital, to commit the crime.

Therefore, the court headed by Justice Nsemeke Daniel convicted the 39-year-old native of Mbiere in Mbaitoli LGA of Imo State, on a two-count charge of stealing and conspiracy.

Also convicted to one-year imprisonment is Kubiat Anthony Isidore, a 28 – year-old welder from Ikot Idim in Odoro Ikot, Essien Udim local government area, who conspired with the doctor, and one Felix Samuel Ekwere, a 35 – year-old security guard at Immanuel General Hospital, from Ekpene Obo in Esit Eket LGA, who was caught moving out some of the stolen hospital beds at night.

Samuel, according to the charge file, had confessed to the police that it was the convicted medical superintendent that sent him. And the judge had no other option than to convict the trio who were prosecuted by the state through the Ministry of Justice in a charge number HEK/13C/2023

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has disqualified the Bayelsa State All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the November 11 governorship election, Timipre Sylva.

Justice Donatus Okorowo ruled that Chief Sylva, having been sworn in twice and ruled for five years as governor of Bayelsa would breach the 1999 constitution as amended if allowed to contest again.

This was sequel to the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/821/2023 filed on June 13, 2023 by Deme Kolomo, a member of the APC seeking disqualification of Sylvia, who was Minister of State for Petroleum Resources in the administration of Muhammadu Buhari.

As the campaign for the November 11 governorship poll in Bayelsa State reaches its peak, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has refuted reports suggesting cracks within its ranks.

Secretary, media and publicity committee, of the party’s national campaign council and former spokesman of the party, Hon Yekini Nabena, implored the general public to disregard the reports of crisis, just as he chided the state governor, Douye Diri over the report 

In a statement yesterday in Abuja, Nabena described as “sponsored media reports” the reports suggesting that the Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri, and 2019 APC Governorship candidate, David Lyon, were working for Governor Douye Diri.

According to him, all suggestions of a crack in the camp of the APC in Bayelsa is a ruse.

He said the media report which quoted some unnamed sources is a propaganda sponsored by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to cause disaffection within the winning APC team.

Nabena released recent pictures where both Lokpobiri and Lyon recommitted themselves before the APC national chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to deliver Timipre Sylva and the party in Bayelsa

Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo State.

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has approved the payment of a 28-year backlog of gratuity for pensioners in the Edo State Local Government Staff Pension Board.

In a statement, the Head of Local Government Administration (HOLGA) and Permanent Secretary, Local Government Staff Pension Board, Osas-Ehigie Sandra, said a screening exercise will be held for the payment of pensioners on the payroll of the Local Government Staff Pension Board between 1979 and 2008.

She said: “This is to inform pensioners on the payroll of the Local Government Staff Pension Board, who retired between 1979 and 2008, that the governor has released funds for their gratuity, and that screening exercise will be held in the Local Government Staff Pensions Board premises, King Square, Benin City.