A police officer in Ibadan has shot and killed a student who was heading to the examination centre to sit for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination being organised by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The incident happened on Gbagi market road in the Egbeda Local Government Area of the state when a stray bullet allegedly fired by a police officer in pursuit of a suspect hit and allegedly killed the student on Tuesday.

Investigations revealed that the boy was on a motorcycle with his father and twin brother when the incident struck.

The student, according to multiple eyewitnesses, was on his way to the examination centre.

An eyewitness, simply identified as Ajani, said, “A police officer opened fire while chasing a fleeing vehicle.

One of the bullets reportedly hit the student. The student was riding on a motorcycle with his father and twin brother.

“The victim was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Another witness said, “The deceased was on his way to the examination centre alongside his twin brother when the tragedy happened.”

Meanwhile, irate youths took the student’s lifeless body to the state Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, to demand justice and called on Governor Seyi Makinde to intervene.

The deceased body has been deposited at Adeoyo Hospital morgue.

As of press time, authorities have not released an official statement on the incident.

She further appreciated the support of the Lagos State Government, through the ministry of basic and secondary education, for creating an enabling environment for private sector players to contribute their quota to the development of education in the state.

The 2nd edition of the Annual Educating The Educators Training and Consultancy (EET&C) Spelling Bee competitions amongst Junior and Secondary schools in Lagos State, will be held on the 28th of May 2025.

This was disclosed by the Principal Consultant EET & C, Ms Adeolaoluwa Badejo

She explained that the competition which is approved by the Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, will be held in all six Education districts of Lagos State with finalists from each District proceeding to the State finals, which features separate categories for the junior and secondary schools.

On the motive for the spelling bee competition amongst public schools, she said, “As educators, we have to improve literacy communication and language development leveraging the power of reading and spelling as a tool for lifelong learning”.

Ms Badejo a teacher, trainer and early childhood education specialist, emphasised the need to promote a reading culture amongst students across the state, and expressed optimism that the spelling bee competition will encourage the students to broaden their vocabulary and not shy away from seemingly difficult words in the course of their study.

She further appreciated the support of the Lagos State Government, through the ministry of basic and secondary education for creating an enabling environment for private sector players to contribute their quota to the development of education in the state.

She also highlighting the immense progress and revitalisation of the education sector as a whole under the THEMES+ agenda of The Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency Babajide Sanwo-olu.

The preliminaries kick off with District 4 Finals at the Lagos City College, Yaba, on the 28th of May 2025, with other District finals following, culminating in the State finals, which will be held on the 25th of June 2025.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has clarified its stance regarding the nationwide ban on sachet alcohol.

The Director of the FCT Directorate of the agency, Kenneth Azikiwe, in Abuja on Monday, said the temporary lifting of the ban was only valid until Dec. 31, 2025.

He emphasised that the recent ministerial lifting of the ban was not permanent and urged the public to disregard misinformation suggesting that the government had permanently lifted the restriction.

“There is a ministerial lifting on the ban of sachet alcohol, but it is only temporary and will be reviewed by Dec. 31, 2025.

“After this date, the full enforcement of the ban will commence.“

The minister granted this temporary relief to allow manufacturers and regulators time to collaborate and ensure a more structured and effective implementation of the ban,” Azikiwe stated.

He highlighted NAFDAC’s ongoing efforts to sensitise the public across the country, noting that awareness campaigns had reached every state.

“We have sensitised distributors, and we’ve emphasised that alcohol should not be sold to individuals under the age of 18, which is also clearly indicated on product labels,” he added.

Azikiwe also commended the Distillers and Beverages Association of Nigeria for supporting the awareness drive.

He reassured the public that NAFDAC remained fully committed to regulating alcohol consumption and reiterated that sachet alcohol products containing less than 200 millilitres would be phased out after December 2025.

NAN