There is tension in parts of Ogun and Lagos states over rumours that there is deadly rice in circulation.

Parents and relatives send voice messages to their loved ones, warning them against buying or consuming rice at this time because a foreign trader had invoked the spirit of Ogun deity after her two trucks of rice were stolen and smuggled into Nigeria.

In various voice notes forwarded to the PUNCH, the speakers maintained that two trucks of rice were stolen from a neighbouring country and were later smuggled into Nigeria through the Idiroko border and the Seme border.

It was stated that the owner of the bags of rice, a woman, contacted some Ogun worshipers in Ghana to lay curses on whoever buys or consumes the alleged stolen rice.

In a voice note, it was rumoured that some Customs officers and a soldier had died in Badagry, Lagos State.

It was also alleged by another sender on WhatsApp that over 70 persons had died in the past few days after buying or consuming the said rice.

Imported rice from the Benin Republic remains one of the most consumed staples in Nigeria, especially by children and the youth.

As the warnings keep getting to people in Ogun and Lagos, they pass the same to their loved ones, emphasising to them that rice must not be consumed or bought at this time.

A resident in the Ipokia Local Government of Ogun State, Morayo, told our correspondent on Wednesday that some parents went to schools, telling the food vendors not to sell rice to their children.

As some individuals tried to debunk the rumour, more voice notes came from different people, claiming their alleged confirmation of the deaths.

This has left many confused as to whether to buy rice or not.

However, the Nigerian Customs Service in Lagos and Ogun debunked the claims, saying there was no deadly rice in circulation.

In a statement by the NCS, Seme Area Command, Public Relations Officer, Isah Sulaiman, said the narrative was entirely false, misleading, and did not reflect the reality of the matter.

“The attention of the Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Area command, has been drawn to a widely circulated unfounded and baseless allegation claiming that the Command seized and distributed bags of rice without the knowledge of the purported owner, who then allegedly invoked traditional powers leading to the death of individuals, including a soldier at Badagry.

“The command wishes to categorically state that this narrative is entirely false, misleading, and does not reflect the reality of the matter,” the statement said.

It disclosed that the command had always adhered to NCS Standard Operating Procedures for disposing of seized goods, which is guided by transparency, due process, and strict adherence to extant laws and guidelines.

“It is instructive to say that no incident within the Command’s Area of Responsibility or among personnel corroborates the false claims of deaths resulting from rice consumption linked to the NCS.“

Unfortunately, some unscrupulous elements wearing the garment of journalism (a credible profession) to disinform members of the public with baseless, fictitious and malicious accusations to score cheap points instead of the social responsibility they are supposed to uphold,” the command added.

The NCS urged the general public to disregard this “unfounded story and refrain from spreading false information that could incite fear or tarnish the image of the security agencies working tirelessly to safeguard the nation.

”It was learnt that rumour has spread to Abeokuta, Ibadan, and other states, creating fears among rice consumers.

Candidates who have been scheduled to resit the 2025 Unified Tertiary and Matriculation Examination, UTME, will begin getting text messages from today (Thursday).

In total, at least 379,997 candidates in the five states of the South East and Lagos are expected to participate.

This was confirmed by the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.

“206,610 in 65 centres were affected in Lagos and 92 centres in Owerri zone comprising of 173,387 candidates in the five states of the South East were affected,” he said.

Oloyede also took responsibility for what he claimed was a “sabotage” of the 2025 UTME.

“The affected candidates will start getting text messages for reschedule starting from tomorrow.

“I apologise, I take full responsibility,” he said.

Out of the 1.9 million candidates who sat for the examinations, over 1.5 million scored below 200 out of the maximum 400 marks.

…….Reschedules exam for affected candidates

The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, today, broke into tears as he apologised for the errors in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

He said tearfully during a press conference in Abuja. that: “I apologise for the trauma caused the candidates.

Recall that Oloyede at the start of the press briefing acknowledged “one or two errors” made during the 2025 UTME.

JAMB reschedules UTME for affected 379,997 South East, Lagos candidates

The 379,997 candidates in the five states of the South East and Lagos will be rescheduled for another Unified Tertiary and Matriculation Examination.

The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq, made this known in an ongoing press briefing in Abuja today.

Oloyede, who took responsibility for what he described as a “sabotage” of the 2025 UTME, said the affected candidates will start getting text messages from the Board starting tomorrow.

“The affected candidates will start getting text messages for reschedule starting from tomorrow.

“I apologise, I take full responsibility.

”Of the 1.9 million candidates who sat the UTME, over 1.5 million reportedly scored below 200 out of the maximum 400 marks, raising concerns across the education sector.

According to the examination agency, a total of 1,955,069 results were processed, out of which only 4,756 candidates (0.24 per cent) scored 320 and above, considered top-tier performance, while 7,658 candidates (0.39 per cent) scored between 300 and 319, bringing the total for those who scored 300 and above to 12,414 candidates (0.63 per cent).

Also, 73,441 candidates (3.76 per cent) scored between 250 and 299 while 334,560 candidates (17.11 per cent) scored between 200 and 249.

A total of 983,187 candidates (50.29 per cent) scored between 160 and 199, which is widely regarded as the minimum threshold for admissions in many institutions.

In the same vein, 488,197 candidates (24.97 per cent) scored between 140 and 159, 57,419 candidates (2.94 per cent) scored between 120 and 139, 3,820 candidates (0.20 per cent) scored between 100 and 119, and 2,031 candidates (0.10 per cent) scored below 100.

Over 75 per cent of all candidates (1.5 million) scored below 200, average score seeing as the examination is graded over 400.