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St Mary’s Catholic School kidnap: 227 people were abducted – CAN

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The Niger State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has confirmed that 227 people, including pupils, students, and teachers, were abducted when bandits stormed St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area, during a deadly overnight raid between 2am and 3am on Friday, November 21.

The exact number of abductees had initially remained unclear, but by Friday evening, Daniel Atori, media aide to the CAN chairman in the state, Most Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, released a statement clarifying that 215 pupils and students and 12 teachers were taken from the school.

Yohanna, who is also the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, said he had returned to the village after visiting the school and meeting with distraught parents. He assured families that CAN is working closely with government officials, security agencies, and community leaders to ensure that the children and teachers are rescued safely.

“I have just got back to the village this night after I visited the school where I also met with parents of the children to assure them that we are working with the government and security agencies to see that our children are rescued and brought back safely,” the statement said. He added that some students managed to escape during the chaos, and parents had begun taking home those who were found, forcing the school to shut down entirely.

Yohanna urged the public to remain calm and prayerful as efforts intensify to track the kidnappers and secure the release of all abductees. “I want to assure you that we are actively collaborating with security operatives, community leaders, and government authorities for the safe and quick return of all abductees. May the Lord grant quick release to those abducted and continue to protect his people from all dangers,” he said.

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Earlier in the day, the Niger State government disclosed that the school had reopened without official clearance, despite an advisory directing all boarding schools in the area to temporarily suspend operations due to escalating security threats.

The attack comes just days after gunmen abducted 25 female students from Government Girls Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, a development that has deepened fears across northern Nigeria as school attacks continue to surge.

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Education

Tinubu appoints NECO, NBTE chairmen, names poly rector, renews library DG tenure

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President Bola Tinubu has approved new appointments across key education agencies, including the National Examinations Council and the National Board for Technical Education.

According to a statement on Wednesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the appointments are part of efforts to strengthen institutions under the Federal Ministry of Education.

The President appointed Prof. Modupe Adeola Adelabu as Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Examinations Council, while retaining the Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi.

He also named Prof. Babatunde Salako as Chairman of the National Board for Technical Education, while earlier reappointing the Executive Secretary, Prof. Idris Bugaje, for a second and final term of five years.

In the polytechnic sector, Tinubu appointed Dr Bongfa Binfa as Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, N’yak-Shendam, Plateau State, for a single term of five years. Binfa succeeds the pioneer rector, Dr Mukaila Zakari Ya’u, whose tenure ended in March 2026.

Until his appointment, Binfa was the Deputy Rector (Academic) at the Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny, and previously lectured at the Federal Polytechnic, Idah.

The President also renewed the tenure of Prof. Chinwe Veronica Anunobi as Director-General of the National Library of Nigeria for a final term of five years.

Anunobi, who was first appointed in September 2021, has led “several institutional reforms aimed at repositioning the National Library as a modern technology-driven knowledge institution” including the development of digital platforms such as the National Repository of Nigeria and the National Virtual Library.

The statement noted that Adelabu, a former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State and ex-chairman of the NBTE, brings extensive experience in educational administration, while Salako is a former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research.

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It added that the renewal of Anunobi’s tenure is expected to ensure continuity in ongoing reforms and the completion of the National Library headquarters project in Abuja.

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JAMB releases Monday’s UTME results

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the results of candidates who sat the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination on Monday, April 20.

Its spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this in a statement released on Tuesday, directing affected candidates to the board’s standard result-checking channels.

“The results for Monday, 20th, have been released. Candidates can view their results using the usual process,” the statement read.

Candidates can access their scores by sending “UTMERESULT” to 55019 or 66019 via SMS, using the phone number with which they registered for the examination.

Monday’s release is the latest in a series of daily result announcements that JAMB has been making since the 2026 UTME commenced on Thursday, April 16.

The exercise, which involves over two million candidates sitting computer-based tests at centres across the country, has seen the board publish results in batches corresponding to each examination day.

The board started the process by releasing results for Thursday’s candidates, followed by a combined batch covering Friday, April 17, and Saturday, April 18.

The Friday-Saturday release, however, came later than candidates had expected. JAMB had initially indicated the results would be available on Saturday but failed to meet that timeline, drawing frustration from candidates who waited through the night.

The board subsequently apologised, attributing the delay to the absence of its chief executive, who was occupied with an official engagement.

The results were eventually published on Sunday, April 19, before the board moved on to process and release the Monday batch.

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JAMB releases over 1.8 million UTME results nationwide

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the release of results for candidates who sat the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination on Friday, April 17, and Saturday, April 18.

In a statement issued on Sunday by its spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, the board said 1,264,940 results from the two days had been processed and made available for candidates.

“The results of candidates who sat the examination on Friday, 17 April and Saturday, 18 April 2026 have now been released.

“A total of 1,264,940 results from these two days are available for candidates to check/view,” the statement read.

The board noted that this latest batch follows an earlier release of results for candidates who wrote the examination on Thursday, April 16.

“The board had earlier released 632,752 results of candidates who sat the examination on Thursday, 16 April 2026. This brings the total number of results released so far to 1,897,692,” it said.

JAMB urged candidates to access their results through its designated SMS channels, maintaining its standard result-checking procedure.

“To view their results, candidates should send UTMERESULT to 55019 or 66019 using the phone (SIM) number they used to register for the 2026 UTME,” the statement added.

The examination body further explained that the results released so far represent outcomes from the first three days of the nationwide exercise.

The UTME, which commenced nationwide on Thursday, is expected to have over two million candidates participating across various computer-based test centres.

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