The 15 students of Eminent Scholars Imperial Academy, Onitsha, who were feared missing after traveling to Imo State for their rescheduled Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), have been found safe, the Imo State Police Command has confirmed.
According to a statement issued by the state police spokesman, DSP Henry Okoye, the students, along with their school proprietor and staff, had traveled from Onitsha to Okigwe Zone, Imo State, on May 16, 2025, to write their exams. They completed the test successfully but were stranded on their return journey after their bus broke down in Amuro, an area with poor mobile network coverage.
The communication gap that followed sparked rumours of abduction, which quickly spread across social media platforms.
“The Command unequivocally confirms that no abduction took place,” the police statement read. “Upon receiving the report, operatives of the Imo State Police Command, in collaboration with sister security agencies, swiftly located the students and escorted them safely to Owerri.”
After receiving support, the students continued their journey and arrived back in Onitsha on May 17, unharmed.
JAMB Clarifies Why Candidates Wrote Exams in Imo
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) also responded to concerns about why students from Onitsha were posted to a distant CBT centre in Okigwe. In its clarification, the Board stated unequivocally that no candidate was posted outside the examination town they chose during registration, even in cases of rescheduled exams.
According to JAMB, the affected students had originally selected Okigwe as their preferred exam town when registering for the 2025 UTME. Therefore, the Board merely honoured their chosen location when assigning CBT centres.
JAMB’s statement served to correct the widespread misconception that the Board had arbitrarily sent candidates far from their locations. “We urge the public to verify such claims and avoid unnecessary panic or misinformation,” a JAMB official emphasized.
Authorities Warn Against Panic and Misinformation
Both the police and JAMB used the opportunity to caution against the spread of unverified information on social media.
“The breakdown of the school bus and lack of mobile coverage led to the communication gap that fueled false abduction narratives,” DSP Okoye said, while thanking the public for their concern. He also encouraged citizens to report emergencies promptly and allow security agencies to verify situations before going public.
The incident underscores the importance of fact-checking in the digital age, especially where the safety of young Nigerians is concerned.
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