The federal government is introducing mandatory drug tests for students in secondary schools nationwide.

According to the new policy, all newly enrolled secondary school students will be subject to mandatory drug integrity testing at the moment of entry.

The directive is contained in the National Implementation Guidelines Against Drug and Substance Use in Schools in Nigeria for secondary schools.

The guideline outlines a comprehensive framework aimed at reducing the growing prevalence of substance abuse among students and creating safer learning environments across schools nationwide.

According to the document, the policy is designed to “create a conducive environment for teaching and learning in the institutions by reducing the negative effect substance abuse has on the mental health and academic performance of students/learners.”

The guideline states that “all new students/learners shall be subjected to drug tests and other measures approved by the schools/learning centres at the point of entry,” adding that the process must be carried out “in collaboration with approved federal/state health facilities and procedures.”

Users of Instagram will no longer be able to send ultra-private direct messages, after parent company Meta switched off end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for the platform’s messaging service worldwide.

The move marks a major reversal for Meta, which had previously positioned E2EE as the “gold standard” for user privacy.

E2EE ensures that only the sender and recipient can read messages, but it has long been criticised by child safety campaigners who argue it can make it harder to detect abuse and illegal content.

As a result, the decision has been welcomed by child protection groups but strongly criticised by privacy advocates.

With E2EE removed, Instagram will now be able to access the contents of direct messages, including text, images, videos, and voice notes.

No fewer than 16 people have been confirmed dead after an 18-seater passenger bus plunged off a bridge in a horrific accident along the Okene-Osara-Lokoja Road in Kogi State.

The tragic incident occurred in the early hours of Friday in Osara, Adavi Local Government Area.

According to the Kogi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lawal Fagge, two passengers survived the crash but sustained severe injuries and are currently receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.

Fagge, who confirmed the details in a telephone interview with Arise News, attributed the accident to excessive speeding by the driver.

He commended officers from the Zariagi Unit of the FRSC for their swift response, as they promptly rescued the survivors and evacuated the injured to medical facilities.

The bodies of the deceased victims have been recovered and deposited at a morgue in Lokoja.

The latest road tragedy has once again sparked concerns over the rising cases of reckless driving and over-speeding on Nigeria’s major highways.

Road safety authorities are urging motorists to observe speed limits and adhere strictly to traffic regulations to avoid preventable loss of lives.