Lebanese foreign affairs minister Abdallah Bou Habib on Friday said his country asked for assistance from Qatar to evacuate Lebanese women from Gaza through the Rafah crossing.

“We requested Qatari assistance to get Lebanese women and their families out through the Rafah crossing, as they have been stuck since the start of the aggression on Gaza, in spite of all our previous attempts to bring them home,” Mr Bou Habib said.

This is according to a report by the Lebanese National News Agency.

Mr Bou Habib made the remarks after meeting with Qatar’s ambassador to Lebanon, Saud bin Abdul Rahman Al-Thani.

Meanwhile, Mr Bou Habib praised Qatar’s constructive role in helping Lebanon emerge from its presidential crisis.

He said Qatar is working through the five-nation group on Lebanon, which comprises Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, France, and the United States, to help the country accelerate its presidential election and financial and economic reforms.

The position of Lebanese president has been vacant since the end of the term of former President Michel Aoun in October 2022.

The parliament failed to elect a new president for the country in light of the division of political forces and the failure of the parliamentary blocs to agree on a consensual figure to assume the presidency.

Argentina’s health ministry announced a “targeted” vaccination campaign against dengue after the country logged more than 420,000 cases this year.

The ministry said in a statement that a vaccination program targeting affected areas would be established based on recommendations from the National Immunisation Commission (Conain) and as part of a comprehensive strategy against the endemic.

The ministry said the vaccination drive “will begin in stages, with the population between 15 and 19 years old” in priority districts.

According to official data released on May 5, Argentina has detected 420,867 cases of dengue and 291

According to official data released on May 5, Argentina has detected 420,867 cases of dengue and 291 deaths so far this year.

The mosquito-borne disease is circulating in 19 of the country’s 24 districts.

Dengue, a viral disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, causes an acute illness that usually develops symptoms such as headache, high fever, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen glands, vomiting and rash.

Bandits on Thursday night invaded the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Okene in Kogi State and abducted some students.

An eyewitness account indicated that the bandits swooped on the university around 9pm while the students were reading for their upcoming exams.

The source said that the bandits came in through the bush, went into three lecture halls and began to shoot into the air to scare the students.

“They trapped the students inside the halls and started taking them, the school was thrown into total confusion as fear-stricken students in other halls scurried to safety, scampering in various directions.

“By the time local security guards and the conventional security men at the gate engaged the bandits, they had already succeeded in abducting some students.

“But the efforts minimised the damage as the attackers didn’t go beyond the first three halls,” the source said.

According to the source, the students were preparing for their first-semester examination expected to commence on Monday, May 13, when the bandits struck.

A student, who craved anonymity, said that he and some colleagues ran to the bush and hid there for “more than an hour”.

“We only ventured out when everywhere became quiet,” he said.Contacted, CUSTEC Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdulraman Asipita, confirmed the incident but refused to give details of the number of students abducted.

“I don’t talk to journalists on incidents like this, but I want you to know that we are on top of the situation,” he said.

Efforts to reach the Commissioner of Police in Kogi, Mr Bethrand Onuoha, were not successful.

Retired Cdre Jerry Omodara, State Security Adviser, could equally not be reached for comments as calls to his line were not picked up nor returned.

Like in several parts of the country, abduction for ransom is the new normal. In February, gunmen reportedly kidnapped nine travellers in Oshokoshoko, along the Kabba/Obajana/Lokoja Road in Kogi State.

A man arrested for allegedly attacking a woman with a box cutter shot and seriously wounded two officers in a Paris police station on Thursday after grabbing one of their weapons.

A source close to the case said the incident happened in the French capital’s 13th district shortly before 10:30 pm (2030 GMT), and that one of the officers’ wounds was life-threatening.

The Paris public prosecutor’s office later confirmed the source’s account to AFP.

Paris police chief Laurent Nunez arrived at the scene around midnight, accompanied by prosecutor Laure Beccuau.

Nunez told reporters that the suspect had been arrested at around 10:00 pm for a “very violent attack on a woman” with a box cutter.

“The officers intervened and brought him back here (to the police station), and it was during his processing that he snatched the weapon” and “seriously” wounded the two officers, he said.

The officers were both immediately transferred to hospital, as was the suspect, who was himself seriously wounded by return fire, Nunez added.

“We are very worried about the state of health (of the officers),” he continued, lauding the station staff’s “courage and responsiveness”.

Nunez said an investigation was underway to establish the “circumstances” surrounding the incident.

Reached by AFP, the prosecutor’s office said three investigations had been opened — one into the “attempted murder of the woman”, and one into the “attempted murder of persons holding public authority”.

The third was being carried out by the IGPN, the national police’s internal affairs department, to look into the use of “intentional violence with a weapon by a person holding public authority”, as is routine when an officer uses their weapon.

The office said the suspect had been hospitalised with a chest wound, but his life was not in danger.

“The investigations should clarify the circumstances of the events, the identity of the suspect, and his possible links to the female victim,” it added.

The palace of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Thursday disowned a claim by a man in a viral video, who had said the monarch is his father.

A release by Moses Olafare, the monarch’s spokesperson, said the man in the viral video had engaged in act of impersonation, noting that the matter had been reported to security agencies for further action.

Olafare said Oba Ogunwusi, being a responsible father and custodian of tradition, knows and acknowledges all his children and would stop at nothing to take full responsibility over them.

He declared that the self-acclaimed prince is unknown to the palace and the Ile-Ife populace, saying “He is not a child of Ooni Ogunwusi as fraudulently claimed, but also never related in any way to any lineage of the Ogunwusi royal family and the Giesi Royal Compound of Ile-Ife at large.”

The release further read in parts, “Our attention has been drawn to an amateur video clip featuring a grown-up individual claiming to be a son of our father, Arole Oodua Olofin Adimula, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja ll, the Ooni of Ife, virally trending across various online platforms. We categorically condemn and denounce this shameless act of impersonation in the strongest possible terms.

“It is imperative to clarify that the Ooni of Ife, as a responsible father and custodian of tradition, knows and acknowledges all his children and stops at nothing to take full responsibility for them (both those who are in Nigeria and outside the country).

“As all of Ooni’s children are well known to the palace and the people of Ile-Ife, the eldest child of the Ooni is Princess Adeola Ogunwusi, a Master’s Degree holder working and residing in Canada, followed by Princess Adewamiwa Ogunwusi who recently relocated to further her education in Dublin, Ireland from where she had come 3 years ago for her secondary school education in her home country Nigeria.

Princess Adesewa is doing very well, Prince Tadenikawo Ogunwusi is widely known to be with his mother hale and healthy while the newborn twins Prince Adebisi Kehinde and Princess Taiwo Adeayo are being planned to formally make their historic entry into the palace in a couple of days by the customs and traditions of the Ife Palace.

“His marauding impersonation tactics to exploit the revered status of the Ooni of Ife for fraudulent personal gains is not only sacrilegious but also criminal. Impersonation of any member of the royal family is a sacrilege against the sanctity of the palace and the heritage it represents.”

According to the statement, the palace will leave no stone unturned to go after the man, using all possible means to scapegoat him to make him face the law for necessary deterrence.

The palace urged the law enforcement agencies, particularly the Nigerian Police Force and Department of State Security to thoroughly investigate the matter and bring the perpetrator to justice as swiftly as possible.

The statement added, “In assisting the law enforcement agencies on this project, any individual with useful information about the whereabouts of this impersonating marauder is implored to cooperate fully with the security authorities or the Ooni’s Palace to ensure that justice prevails as such a patriotic whistleblower’s identity is well protected in utmost secrecy and handsomely rewarded by the Ooni’s palace. Enough is enough.”

Olafare also called on the said impersonator to refrain from engaging in or promoting such deceptive practices, assuring that the House of Oduduwa remains committed to preserving the rich cultural heritage of the Yoruba people and would not tolerate any attempt to undermine or tarnish its legacy through fraudulent means.

The Nigerian Navy says it will participate in a joint naval exercise led by the United States Africa Command (US Africom) to address emerging cases of sea piracy in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).

Rear Adm. Samsom Bura, the flag officer commanding, Central Naval Command, disclosed this at a news conference aboard the naval warship NNS Kada in Onne, Rivers State, on Thursday.

The Nigerian Navy has successfully eliminated sea piracy within the nation’s waters, but the problem persists in other GoG countries.

Mr Bura said the upcoming exercise named ‘Obangame Express 2024’ would enhance security in the GoG region and foster collaboration among navies within the regional block and allied nations.

“Exercise Obangame Express is an annual multinational maritime exercise initiated by U.S. Africom under the auspices of the U.S. Naval Forces Africa.

“The exercise, commencing on May 10, will feature Nigeria and other countries from Africa, Europe and North America participating simultaneously, with the Republic of Gabon serving as the host country.

“The objectives include promoting regional cooperation, improving maritime security, and enhancing the capabilities of the participating navies,” he explained.

Mr Bura explained that the Nigerian Navy would conduct the drill within Nigeria’s territorial waters and the GoG from May 10 to 17.

“The exercise will involve in-port training and at-sea scenarios like anti-piracy operations, gunnery exercises, visit board and search and seizure operations, and communication and information sharing.

“International and local partners, including a Spanish warship, representatives from the Federal Ministry of Justice, NIMASA, and members of the media, will participate in the exercise.

“The Nigeria Navy will deploy ships, aircraft, Special Boat Service teams (special forces), and maritime domain awareness facilities,” he added.

The flag officer reaffirmed the navy’s commitment to leveraging the exercise to combat crimes within Nigeria’s maritime area.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has secured the conviction of a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Commandant, Christopher Oluchukwu, for defrauding individuals seeking employment for their children.

According to a statement posted on the website of the ICPC on Thursday, Oluchukwu was found guilty on all nine counts filed against him at Katsina State High Court 3.

The charges stemmed from allegations that he collected a total of N900,000 from three separate individuals under false pretences of securing them jobs within the NSCDC.

The statement partly read, “In the case filed by ICPC at the Katsina State High Court 3, the convict was accused of receiving the sum of N200,000:00, N300,000:00 and N400,000:00 respectively, from three individuals under the pretext of securing jobs for their children with the NSCDC.

One of the counts read, “That you Christopher Oluchukwu Ugwubujo on or about 25th and 28th day of November 2014 within the jurisdiction of this Court while being a public officer with the NSCDC conferred a corrupt advantage upon yourself by obtaining a total sum of four hundred thousand naira (N400, 000. 00) from one for a job placement for her daughter into NSCDC and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.”

In his ruling on Tuesday, Justice Abbas Bawale was reported to have found Oluchukwu guilty on all nine counts and sentenced him to five years of imprisonment without the option of fine.

“Similarly, the trial judge pronounced that the sentences were to run concurrently. He also held that even though the defendant was at large (he jumped bail), his sureties should be arrested and kept in custody for further investigation,” the statement added.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Makurdi, Benue State, has ordered the immediate closure of Father Angus Frazer Memorial High School in Adeke, Makurdi, following an attack on the school by unknown gunmen.

Unidentified gunmen in the late hours of Tuesday, May 7, 2024, attacked the school but were repelled by personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

No life was lost but one of the security personnel sustained a non-life-threatening injury and is receiving medical treatment in an undisclosed hospital.

A press statement issued on May 8, 2024, by the Director of Social Communications of the Diocese, Very. Revd. Fr. Moses Iorapuu, directed the immediate suspension of all activities at the school until further notice.

Part of the statement reads: “Following the attack on Father Angus Frazer Memorial High School by unidentified gunmen, the Diocese of Makurdi ordered the immediate suspension of activities at the school to protect the lives of the students.

“The decision to suspend activities was a preemptive measure to ensure the safety of our children and avoid what could be an unimaginable disaster if not for the swift action of the school authority and the intervention of security personnel who repelled the attack.”

“The Director of Catholic Education Service of the Diocese was also mandated to reach out to relevant stakeholders. The Diocese has also directed priests and those in pastoral units to tighten security around their premises and appealed to the relevant authorities to ensure the safety of lives and property of the citizens.”

Father Angus Frazer Memorial High School is located along Welfare Quarters at Utuur Layout, Phase 3 area of Makurdi, which has become notorious for frequent attacks, killings and kidnappings by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

A Nigerian man, who identified himself simply as FBI, has challenged two-time former unified world heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, to a boxing match, vowing to knock him out in the second round.

Speaking with confidence, the man told Joshua to fix a fight date and time.

In a new video circulating on social media platforms, the man, shirtless and flexing his muscles, delivered the message to Joshua.

He said, “Joshua, I’m still waiting for you. I believe that my message has reached you. Just give me the date, and I’ll show you. As the FBI, I will put you down in two rounds, in the second round, I’m gonna put you down.”

After calling on Joshua for a fight, FBI proceeded to train with tyres, punching them, lifting them and performing various other exercises to demonstrate his readiness.

The video attracted massive reactions from Nigerians.

Frank Edoho reacted, “This one think say he go beat Joshua tyre!

Nollywood actor, Lanre Adediwura, added, “Wait, Anthony Joshua wan sleep for ground for the fight, abi na wetin? I no understand this moves.”

Popular comedian, Iamremote, joking said, “Shebi na floor Joshua go dey abi.”

Montero wrote, “He knows meeting AJ gonna change his life, fight or no fight so he just wants that attention and contact. I no really blame the guy, our government has failed us so everyone is trying to see what they can do to get out of poverty.”

Demo Pumpin rhetorically asked, “Is he a boxer or vulcaniser?”

The foodnetworking2 added, “I reject you for AJ because na sapa frustration you go use beat shege banza comot him body.”

Mayorsoj added, “Poverty dey fight you but na Anthony Joshua you wan fight.”

A climate activist, Greta Thunberg, has been fined for defying police orders during a climate protest in March at Swedish parliament.

During the hearing of the case on Wednesday at the Stockholm District Court, Ms Thunberg was charged 6,000 Swedish crowns ($550) and an additional 1,000 crown (£73) in damages.

According to reports, the climate activist with the assistance of four other campaigners blocked the entrance to the Swedish parliament for their sit-in and protest against effective climate change on March 12 and 13.

The protesters denied politicians access into the parliament, causing disruptions at the entrance of the building, which the police noted and gave the activists an order to move which she and her campaigners refused to do.

Their disobedience for police order made the police use force to remove them from the building entrance.

Also, this is not Ms Thunberg’s first time of flouting police orders, as she was fined last July after refusing to leave a climate protest in Malmo in June. She, however, denied the charges of two counts of civil disobedience before the court.

Meanwhile, Ms Thunberg after the court rulings complained of the court’s decision, describing the system as “extremely deadly,” adding that the law which was supposed to protect citizens didn’t fulfil its duty.

The climate activist told the BBC that “In a country like Sweden where I can protest, where I can use my voice, I have the right to do that. I have a moral obligation to do that.”

Ms Thunberg disclosed that her reason for not complying with the law enforcement agents’ order was because the protest against effective climate change was an emergency and it’s still an emergency.

She thus noted that in an emergency, everyone had an obligation to act.BBC further reported her as saying, “Once again, I think it’s painfully clear how absurd it is that it is peaceful climate protesters, like us youths, who are facing repression and are being faced with legal punishments in court for acting against this extremely deadly system, and for trying to change things.’’

The climate activist added, “We are currently heading in the wrong direction towards a very unstable and dangerous future. It shows how our laws which are supposed to protect us don’t do that.’’

Describing “big companies and people in power” as “the people who are the real criminals, ” she alleged that they were the ones putting people in real danger because of their disregard for the “rapidly escalating climate crisis.”

However, the Stockholm police explained that though the activists had the right to protest outside the parliament, they were ordered to move away from blocking the entrances.

TikTok, owned by a Chinese internet entrepreneur, Zhang Yiming, has sued the United States government over moves to ban the social media app.

The TikTok founder had filed the suit against the U.S. government in Washington’s appeal court on Tuesday.

TikTok’s decision was in reaction to U.S government law signed late April to ban it from the country except Mr Yiming, who is also the founder of ByteDance, was willing to sell the app in less than eight months.

However, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, didn’t agree with the U.S. terms and argued that the law which violated the First Amendment free speech protections also unfairly characterises its ownership of TikTok as a national security concern, even though there was no proof the company is a threat.

The U.S. government expressed worry that TikTok raised national security concerns because China could obtain American personal information via the app. However, after the bill was brought to the House floor by a unanimous committee vote last month, it was passed by the House with great support.

Furthermore, ByteDance claims that because the statute is so “obviously unconstitutional,” its sponsors are misrepresenting it as a means of controlling TikTok’s ownership.

In the lawsuit that was submitted, ByteDance stated, “For the first time in history, Congress has enacted a law that subjects a single, named speech platform to a permanent, nationwide ban, and bars every American from participating in a unique online community with more than 1 billion people worldwide.”

Also, according to TikTok and ByteDance’s lawsuit, the divestiture “is simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, and not legally.”

There is no doubt that the act will silence the 170 million Americans who use TikTok to communicate in ways that are unique to their platform by forcing the company to shut down by January 19, 2025.”

The law suit also stated that, the Chinese government “has made clear that it would not permit a divestment of the recommendation engine that is a key to the success of TikTok in the United States” and revealed that TikTok has spent $2 billion on measures to ensure protection of its users data.

The app has also gone ahead to agree to a “shutdown option” that would allow the U.S. government to shutdown the app if there is ever a breach in the terms of the 90-page draft National Security Agreement.

The Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board on Tuesday trained about 321 teachers on the Reading and Numeracy Activities (RANA) teaching methodology.

RANA is a three-year project funded by DFID through UNICEF as part of the Girls Education Programme Phase 3.

It is aimed at improving literacy and numeracy instruction in grades one to three in both public schools and integrated Quranic schools, with the ultimate goal of increasing literacy outcomes for learners, especially girls.

To achieve these goals, RANA has developed Hausa-language teaching and learning materials, build teacher capacity, mobilised communities, and engaged local governments to improve early grade reading policies.

The three-day refresher training, which is phase three of the RANA programme, supported by the World Bank, was under the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) programme.

Speaking to journalists at the opening of the training, the Head, Education Management Information System of KADSUBEB, Josephine Michael, said the trainees would step down the training to teachers in the state government’s schools.

She added that the teachers would equally step down the training to their pupils in Hausa language which is the immediate language of the pupils’ environment.

Michael, who doubles as the Desk Officer of BESDA in KADSUBEB, stressed that the Kaduna State Government envisaged pupils in the state to be able to at most in primary three identify letters, sounds and read simple sentences.

She also said they wanted to ensure the children were able to do simple addition and comprehend little stories at primary three, so they could do better in upper classes in terms of writing letters and do much comprehension at their level.

Speaking further, Michael said the programme, introduced in 2019, had improved the children’s learning capacity.

“Because they are learning in play, songs, actions and in the language they understood better, there is much improvement in learning outcome. The methodology is child-centred. It makes the children more involved,” she said.

One of the trainees, Shehu Bashari from Zaria LGA, said the RANA programme pushed him to a higher level.According to him, the first time he received such training, he thought it was a joke until he saw how it made his pupils learn fast.

“I discovered that before the advent of the programme, learners from primary one to three were unable to read simple sentences and not to talk of knowing all the alphabets,” he said.

Also, Rahab Benjamin from Kaura LGA, said she had a niece who could not read in spite of many efforts.

Ms Benjamin however, said when she was trained in the first phase of the RANA programme, she settled down and taught her niece in ways which she quickly understood.

“I have benefited from the programme even in my household,” she said.

The participants, who cut across teachers from the state’s 23 LGAs, were RANA mentors, coaches and master trainers for primary one to three.

The Federal Government said it has established plantations of both indigenous and exotic tree species in the 36 states of the federation.

The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, disclosed this at the opening of the 45th Annual Conference of the Forestry Association of Nigeria in Katsina on Tuesday.

Mr Lawal, represented by a Deputy Director in the ministry, Bosede Olukanmi, said that the action was geared towards supplementing the natural forests and providing forest products for domestic and international market demands.

He also said that the initiative was driven by the desire to create jobs for youths in the areas where the plantations were established.

The minister said that forestry contributes to the Gross Domestic Product of the country, hence, its role in the Nigerian economy could never be overemphasised.

According to him, it creates employment and provides foreign exchange earnings through experts.

Mr Lawal said, “It will interest you to know that owing to the reawakened and renewed demand of the country’s woods in recent times by China, Vietnam, India, Nigeria has been listed as one of the exporting countries of woods and charcoal to these countries. This is with a view to providing forest products to feed domestic and international markets.”

In his remarks, President of the association, Dr Afolani Tajudeen, disclosed that over the years, the association had sounded the alarm against abuse, misuse and collective damage to the forests.

He said, “Nigerians have continuously treated the forests as if it is an inexhaustible resource, forgetting that though renewable, it is potentially destructible. Our actions and inactions have resulted in an inclement environment which now breeds disease and pests that pose danger to human existence. On the economic side, the unsustainable management of our forests has resulted in the loss of fertile lands, leading to declining agricultural productivity, job losses, rural-urban drift and the creation of urban slums with their attendant implications to our society. Sadly, forestry administrators at all tiers of governments in Nigeria are virtually in comatose.’’

On his part, the Katsina State governor, Dikko Radda, said his administration was ready to partner with the association to protect and preserve the natural forest in the state.

Mr Radda said that the government established a committee to recover the forests encroached across the state.

“We are now waiting for the committee to submit its reports for the government to implement recommendations,” he said.

The conference had as its theme “Forests for national wealth and job creation.”

A man identified as Akpoveta School has admitted to killing his lover, Glory Akpaku, because of N100,000.

Akpoveta was taken into custody by the Delta State Police Command and is currently being interrogated.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe, made this known in a post accompanied by a video shared on his X handle on Tuesday.

The suspect stated that when the deceased promised to give him the money when she returned from the market, he then threatened her by saying he would reveal their secret relationship to her child, which angered her and led Glory to say that she would not give him the money anymore.

The post read, “I share stories like this so we can learn from the mistakes of others. “So, this suspect, Akpoveta School, allegedly murdered his sugar mummy, Glory Akpaku, over her failure to give him back the money she was helping him save.

“When asked why he did, he said ‘NA DEVIL WORK’ pls watch and share.

“When questioned about the murder, Akpoveta confessed to stabbing her three times in the back, neck, and stomach.

The Benin Division of the Edo High Court, on Tuesday, ordered the remand of one Ikechukwu Tony in prison custody over an alleged attempt to rape a 50-year-old woman.

The suspect was arraigned on a count charge of rape, to which he pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor, Ama Iyamu, told the court that the suspect, on March 27, 2023, at Ewayoburu Street, off Uwa in Benin juridical division, attempted to rape one Osayenwenrre Amadi.

According to the prosecutor, the offence is contrary to Section 4 of Edo State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2021 and punishable under Section 5(2) of the same law.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has released additional 531 results of the recently conducted Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations taking the total number of results released to 1,842,897.

This is contained in a statement by the Public Communication Advisor of the Board, Fabian Benjamin, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr Benjamin said the board proceeded with the screening of over 64,000 withheld results due to cases of examination misconduct.

He added that the board was examining cases of unverified candidates and would soon come up with a position.

He added that the attention of the board was drawn to some fallacious publications purporting that an unknown candidate, who did not sit for the board’s 2024 UTME obtained scores.

Mr Benjamin described the report as fake, malicious and a calculated attempt to undermine the integrity of the board, urging the public to disregard such publications.

He said that the publication which levelled such a grievous allegation had no details of the candidate for proper verification.

He said, “The board is not surprised as this is the season of mischief-makers, who would want to deceive gullible candidates. The examination template of the board is designed with the highest sense of responsibility and is not an allocation platform where scores are doled out to candidates.

“It is most unfortunate that anybody could even believe such narration or that the story could even gain traction given the board’s integrity. This again has gone to further vindicate the board’s stance that candidates should desist from disclosing their classified details to third parties.’’

He said that in investigating some of the allegations, the board discovered that some of the mischief-makers copied results sent to other candidates.

He stated, “They then edit the details sent to them and then parade this as emanating from the board. The board challenges any candidate, parent or anybody with such a claim to prove it wrong by coming forward with the details of such claims, and the phone number with which such results were conveyed.’’

He said that this development would only propel the board to further tighten the process of checking its results to make it more personalised.

Mr Benjamin said it would be stringent when it should actually be a simple and straightforward exercise.

“The board reiterated that neither its results nor any of its processes have been compromised. Hence, it will continue to protect the integrity of its systems against such malicious actors, who are hell-bent on creating confusion where none existed,” he said.

Mr Benjamin said that the board would add more features such as registration number to the existing UTME result checking process going forward, to make it extra difficult for anybody to edit.

He urged candidates to keep their details secure, noting that for if they were found associating with any of the mischievous elements, they would be treated as collaborators.

The spokesman said that the method of checking the 2024 UTME remained sending UTMERESULT to 55019 or 66019 and not through any other process.

He, therefore, said the result at the moment was not on the board’s website.

Three people were killed and two others critically injured after a passenger train hit a car in Indonesia’s Pasuruan regency, in East Java province, on Tuesday, local police reported.

Pasuruan Police Deputy Chief Andria Diana Putra said the fatal accident occurred at around 8:40 a.m. local time.

“A car with seven people on board trespassed at a railroad crossing without a bar gate in Rejoso sub-district. The car was hit by a passing train and severely damaged as it bounced off about 150 metres,” Mr Putra said.

He added that the officers were still investigating the cause of the accident.