Education

EXCLUSIVE: Final-Year IMT Enugu Student Detained Alongside Father, Sisters By Abia Police Unit Without Explanation Risks Missing Exams

Published

3 weeks ago

May 26, 2025

A copy of the IMT examination timetable seen by SaharaReporters confirms that her final exams began on May 15 and will end on May 28, 2025.

The nightmare of unlawful detention continues to unfold for a family in Abia State as a final-year student of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, remains behind bars with her father and two siblings, risking her entire academic future.

Gift Chikadibia, a student of the Marketing Department at IMT Enugu, has been locked up since April 12, 2025, after she was arrested alongside her father and sisters in what has been described as a brutal and unjust police operation in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.

On Monday, her mother, Chioma Chikadibia, told SaharaReporters that the ongoing detention is threatening her daughter’s graduation.

“Chikadibia Ogechi Gift, she is a student of the Institute of Management and Technology Enugu. She is in the Marketing department,” she said.

“The institution has started exams. She had just returned home for Easter holidays on April 12, and that very day, the incident happened.”

“She is a final student now, at the risk of carrying over all of her courses, not graduating with her mates,” Mrs Chikadibia added.

A copy of the IMT examination timetable seen by SaharaReporters confirms that her final exams began on May 15 and will end on May 28, 2025.

SaharaReporters had earlier reported how police officers from the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Mopol Base Umuahia, stormed the family compound in a midnight raid, arrested Mr. Chikadibia Sunday and three daughters, and whisked them away to an undisclosed location.

The police have offered no explanation for the arrests, and the detainees have been denied access to lawyers or any form of communication since then.

The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), a human rights watchdog, first raised the alarm over the case, describing it as another harrowing example of police lawlessness and the abuse of due process in Nigeria.

According to RULAAC, the police officers who carried out the operation were heavily armed and not in uniform. They broke into the family’s property, ransacked the home, and made away with valuables and money.

One of the daughters who spoke anonymously said: “They were fully armed, they were five in number, they were not in uniform… They said go to Glory’s room and search, where is Ikenna’s; they broke the door of his room, collected all the properties inside his room and some money.”

Another family member, Ngozi Chikadibia, was allegedly lured to a location by a phone call and subsequently abducted. The other sisters, Sunday Glory and Gift Chikadibia, were also picked up and detained.

Despite repeated attempts by the family’s lawyer to access the detainees, police authorities have remained tight-lipped and hostile.

A source, however, told SaharaReporters that the family members are being held at the Mopol Base and mistreated.

RULAAC’s Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, condemned the incident, stating that it represents a shocking abuse of police power and a disregard for citizens’ rights.

“RULAAC is alarmed at this information which reveals a gross abuse of police power, abuse of due process and established procedures for arrest, detention and treatment of persons arrested and detained for any alleged offence,” he said.

He called on the Inspector-General of Police and the Abia State police commissioner to urgently investigate the case, punish those responsible, and release the detained family members immediately.

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Education

NABTEB to embrace computer-based test in examinations – Registrar

Published

2 days ago

June 16, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

The National Business and Technical Education Board (NABTEB) will embrace Computer-Based Test in subsequent Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) common entrance examinations and other examinations of the board.

Muhammed Aminu Muhammed, NABTEB’s Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, stated this at Uromi, Edo State, during the monitoring of TEVT’s common entrance examination into the federal technical colleges.

Represented by the director of the quality assurance department, Osaigbovo Pius, he explained that the board is putting infrastructure on ground that would enable it to conduct CBT examinations in subsequent examinations of the board.

He further explained, “CBT is the way to go now. JAMB is already doing it and WAEC may follow next year.

“We want to ensure that the infrastructure to enable the CBT exam is on ground.”

Education

NECO: 64,000 candidates take common entrance exam in Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo

Published

3 days ago

June 14, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

No fewer than 64,000 candidates from Nigeria, Benin Republic, and Togo have participated in the 2025 National Common Entrance Examination, NCEE, for admission into Federal Government Colleges, conducted by the National Examinations Council, NECO.

Speaking after monitoring the exercise at Model Secondary School, Maitama, and Government Secondary School, Tudun Wada, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, expressed satisfaction with the smooth conduct of the examination.

“I’m very happy with the way the exams have been conducted. They started on time, students were orderly, and invigilators were present and active. We had 64,000 candidates, 30,000 male and 34,000 female, which shows a strong interest in our unity colleges,” she said.

The minister emphasized that the turnout reflects continued public trust in the unity school system.

“Nigerians are still eager to have their children in Federal Government Colleges. This turnout shows that parents still value the role of unity schools in national cohesion,” she added.

On his part, the NECO Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, confirmed that Lagos State recorded the highest number of registered candidates with over 15,000, while the Republic of Togo had the lowest with 17 candidates.

“We had about 109 candidates from Benin Republic and Togo combined, all Nigerian citizens residing there. This is a truly regional exercise that affirms the reach and reputation of our unity colleges,” he said.

Wushishi noted that no challenges were reported during the conduct of the exam.

“Materials arrived on time, the exam started as scheduled, and so far, we’ve seen no issues. This smooth process gives us hope that upcoming senior secondary exams, both WAEC and NECO, will follow suit,” he stated.

The NECO boss also acknowledged the inclusion of children with special needs, assuring that accommodations like braille materials and support personnel were provided.

On her part, the Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Binta Abdulkadir, said admissions into unity schools will be based on merit, state quota, and exigency, the latter catering largely to children of civil servants.

“Final admissions will depend on the released results, but we remain committed to a fair and inclusive process,” she noted.

Education

Peter Obi Reacts After UNIZIK Staff Told Him That They Have Been Working For 5 Years Without being paid salary.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

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‎On June 6, 2025, Peter Obi, a notable Nigerian politician, drew attention to the distressing situation of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) staff in Awka, who have gone unpaid for five years.
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‎In a post on X at 4:30 PM WAT, Obi shared insights from his meeting with the affected teaching and non-teaching staff, describing their experiences as “shocking and heartbreaking.
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‎” These employees, hired between 2019 and 2020, have been excluded from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), a federal payroll platform, resulting in non-payment of their salaries.”
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‎He state the affected staff told him that they have written multiple petitions and appeals, both within Nigeria and international bodies but their situation has remained unchanged.
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‎He called on the Federal Government to urgently enroll the staff on IPPIS and settle all outstanding salary arrears, framing the situation as both a humanitarian and moral concern. Obi stressed that neglecting educators jeopardizes the nation’s future and that the dignity of Nigerian workers must be upheld.
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