Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, on Sunday called on the management of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to reschedule the examination date for eight candidates of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination kidnapped last Wednesday.

Alia made the call on Sunday when he played host to the remaining 13 kidnap victims who were rescued in the early hours of Sunday at the old banquet hall, Government House, Makurdi.

The governor said the kidnap victims were victims of circumstances and must not be neglected.

Alia said, “Many of the students were travelling to Otukpo. Seven were regular passengers, and 15 were kidnapped that fateful day. One of the victims escaped, and another one escaped the following day.

“Today, all the remaining 13 kidnap victims were rescued by the security agents with the cooperation of the communities.

“I call on JAMB to look into the case of the eight young students and reschedule dates for them to write their examination.”

The governor explained that 15 out of the 18 passengers who were on board the Benue Links bus were kidnapped last Wednesday night between Taraku and Otukpo in Gwer East and Otukpo LGAs of the state, respectively.

The governor further directed the state Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Paul Ogwuche, to take the victims to the State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi for proper medical check-up and treatment before handing them over to their families.

The governor applauded the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and all the heads of security agencies in the state for their efforts in rescuing the victims.

Alia recalled that security operatives in the state have shown tremendous diligence in the discharge of their duties, rescuing several kidnap victims across the state in the past.

While confirming that seven suspects have been arrested in connection with the latest kidnapping, Alia appealed to security agents to help flush out criminal elements dwelling in ungoverned areas across the state, saying, “Our people deserve to live in peace.”

Speaking earlier, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ifeanyi Emenari, said the rescue was made possible through the collaborative efforts of all the security agencies and the communities.

Eighteen passengers, including the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination candidates, were travelling to Otukpo that Wednesday night when they were abducted by gunmen around 8 pm.

The UTME candidates, whose examination centre was in Otukpo, about 105 kilometres from Makurdi, had planned to spend the night in Otukpo before their early examination period. Unfortunately, they were kidnapped a few kilometres from Otukpo.

The management of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board had, in a statement issued on Saturday, denied that any of its candidates were among the kidnap victims.

But a relative of one of the victims, who did not want to be named and spoke to journalists in Makurdi on Saturday night, berated JAMB for not carrying out thorough findings before issuing the statement.

Cylia Nyanghe, the wife of Big Brother Naija Shine Ya Eyes housemate Emmnauel Umoh, has revealed the date for their white wedding.

Following the success of their civil wedding, Cylia, via her Instagram story, told Nigerians to be prepared for their white wedding, which would take place in December, 2027.

According to her, the wedding will be held in both Cameroon and Nigeria.

“December 2027
All roads lead to Cameroon/Nigeria.

Are you ready, fam?”.

It was reported earlier this week that Emmanuel had announced that he is set to tie the knot with a US-based Cameroonian woman, Cilia Nyanghe. He shared their pre-wedding photos online, revealing that their wedding was slated for April 17th.

On Friday, April 17th, the couple legally got hitched at a court ceremony. His wife, via her Instagram story, shared clips from the low-key ceremony, which caused a stir online as the reality star bore an unhappy countenance for someone who was legally getting married.

Two years ago, Emmanuel set social media abuzz after expressing a longing for a certain someone and admitting he missed that person. Many linked his tweet to his ex, Liquorose.

Recall that Liquorose was once in a relationship with Emmanuel and they had a messy breakup. The duo thrashed their relationship issues during the shine Ya Eye reunion.

Refreshing your memory, the drama unfolded when Rose accused Emmanuel of infidelity, claiming she caught him in bed with another woman. She further revealed that he expressed a desire for an open relationship where he could freely interact with other women. The level of disrespect allegedly reached a breaking point for Rose, leading to the end of their high-profile relationship.

During the BBN reunion, Emmanuel shocked many viewers by vehemently denying his involvement with Rose, even stating that he had never asked her to be his girlfriend. This unexpected turn left fans bewildered, especially given the couple’s public expressions of affection and commitment throughout their time on the reality show.

Defending her, Deyemi Okanlawon slammed a troll for mocking Liquorose, questioning the right to make a malicious comment on someone else’s page.

Nina Ivy stated that Emmanuel reminded her of her ex (Miracle), as she dragged him for leading Liquorose to believe they were an item when there was nothing between them.

Tacha encouraged Liquorose as she took a swipe at Emmanuel, opining that men should be feared. She said Emmanuel lost and that Liquorose shouldn’t sweat it.

Emmanuel and Rose had been a beloved couple on BBN, captivating audiences with their genuine connection during the Shine Your Eye season. They had even left the show as a couple and openly discussed their intentions for a relationship in subsequent interviews. The abrupt denial during the reunion left a lasting impact, prompting many netizens to criticise Emmanuel for his actions.

Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior reflected on his side’s 1-0 Premier League defeat to Man United on Saturday (April 18).

Amid large fan protests ahead of the game, Chelsea were in desperate need of a win as they chase a top five finish.

Matheus Cunha’s first half goal was all Man United needed to secure all three points and put more pressure on failing manager Rosenior.

Chelsea have now lost four games in a row without scoring a since goal for the first time since 1998.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Rosenior reflected: “It is so difficult. Today they had one shot on target while we were down to 10 men.

“We had wave after wave of attack and hit the woodwork I think four times. I don’t want my team to feel things are against us. We have to keep fighting.

“We have to defend that moment better. We don’t and we get punished. At the moment any small mistake we are making and the ball ends up in the back of our net and that has to change.

“It is about results and we haven’t got a result today we should have. “The small things add up but we have to keep working hard.”

“I put myself under the most pressure. We just have to keep working with the staff and the players to turn things around.”