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BREAKING NEWS: Release El-Rufai, Opposition Should Be Heard – Buhari’s Ex-Aide To Nigeria Goverment
Lauretta Onochie, former media aide to the late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has called for the immediate release of a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Nasir El-Rufai from detention.
Onochie said El-Rufai’s continued detention under questionable circumstances only shows public suspicion that the machinery of state is being weaponised against opposition figures.
Posting on X, she noted that the voices of opposition must be heard and not silenced.
She wrote: “In every democracy, opposition voices must be challenged with ideas, not silenced with prison walls. When political participation becomes grounds for persecution, democracy itself is placed on trial.
“Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has now spent months in custody over what many Nigerians believe are politically motivated and trumped-up charges.
“Even more disturbing are reports that the path to his freedom comes with political conditions: return to the APC or abandon active politics entirely.
“That is not justice. That is coercion. That is political intimidation dressed up as due process.”
She noted that Nigeria cannot claim to be a democratic nation while dissenting voices are punished for refusing to bow.
Onochie insisted that the right to political association, opposition, and participation is guaranteed in every constitutional democracy.
She maintained that no citizen should have to negotiate freedom in exchange for political surrender.
“If there is a credible case against him, let it be heard openly, fairly, and speedily before a competent court. But continued detention under questionable circumstances only deepens public suspicion that the machinery of state is being weaponised against opposition figures.
“This is bigger than Nasir El-Rufai. It is about the soul of Nigerian democracy. It is about whether citizens are still free to disagree, contest power, and speak without fear.
“Mallam Nasir El-Rufai must be released immediately even if on bail pending the fair determination of his case.
“A democracy that jails opposition voices today may have no opposition left tomorrow. A nation without opposition, is a nation under dictatorship,” she added.
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The Complete Official Record of UTME Top Scorers Since 2013 To 2026, As Published By JAMB.
2026
Owoeye Daniella Jesudunsin
State: Ekiti
372 / 400
The latest name to top Nigeria’s most competitive exam, Owoeye Daniella Jesudunsin scored 372 in the 2026 UTME, choosing the University of Lagos to study Medicine and Surgery. She was closely followed by Enwere Kingsley Ikenna (370) and Bamisile Ayomide Emmanuel (369), with several other candidates recording 368 and 367.
2025
All-time record
Okeke Chinedu Christian
State: Anambra
374 / 400
JAMB’s official press conference document, delivered by Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede on May 14, 2025, listed the best score of the 2025 UTME as 374 — the highest recorded since the computer-based test began in 2013. The Registrar described it as “the best highest in the last one and half decades.”
2024
Olowu Joseph Oluwasijibomi (Ondo), Alayande David (Oyo) & Orukpe Joel Ehijele (Edo)
367 / 400 each
Three candidates shared top honours in the 2024 UTME with identical scores of 367, making it a rare triple tie. Their registration numbers — 202440343695GA, 202440097040EF, and 202440089418GA — are confirmed in JAMB’s official records. It was a year when only 0.46 per cent of the 1.8 million candidates who sat the examination scored 300 and above.
2023
Umeh Kamsiyochukwu Nkechinyere
State: Anambra
360 / 400
A student of Deeper Life High School in Mowe, Ogun State, Umeh Kamsiyochukwu Nkechinyere (Reg: 202330325356GA) scored 360 to emerge the highest UTME candidate in 2023. Her achievement attracted national celebration, and Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo offered her a full scholarship.
2022
Adebayo Eyimofe Oluwatofunmi
State: Ekiti
362 / 400
Adebayo Eyimofe Oluwatofunmi (Reg: 202211075576JA) topped the 2022 UTME with a score of 362.
2021
Monwuba Chibuzo Chibuikem
State: Not disclosed
358 / 400
Monwuba Chibuzo Chibuikem (Reg: 10054281ID) scored 358 to lead all candidates in the 2021 UTME. He later went on to study electrical, electronics and communications engineering at the University of South Florida in the United States.
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FULL LIST: Ogun candidate emerges top scorer in 2026 UTME with 372 marks
2020
Maduafokwa Egoagwuagwu Agnes
State: Anambra
365 / 400
Agnes (Reg: 21398306DF), a graduate of Louisville Girls High School in Ijebu-Itele, Ogun State, scored 365 — a score that stood as the highest in the CBT era until 2025. She went on to study Mechanical Engineering at Duke University in the United States under the institution’s Karsh International Scholarship..…For more, Complete your reading
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The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA Distributes Relief Materials To Cross River Fire Vctims
The National Emergency Management Agency has distributed relief materials and building items to victims of recent fire outbreaks in Agbokim and Karaboat communities in Cross River.
PUNCH Online had reported that there was a massive fire incident in Agbokim in August 2025, which destroyed properties worth millions of naira.
Following this incident, NEMA, on January 27, 2026, conducted an on-the-spot assessment of Agbokim and Karaboat communities following a distress call from the Cross River Emergency Management Agency.
Flagging off the distribution on Tuesday, Director General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, represented by Mrs Mmandu Aisueni, Head of Operations, NEMA Uyo Operation Office, sympathised with the victims, assuring them of NEMA’s commitment to providing timely humanitarian assistance to disaster-affected communities nationwide.
She said, “We are here to sympathise with the victims and to assure you of our deep commitment to providing timely humanitarian assistance to disaster-affected communities not just in Cross River, but nationwide.”
She added that the intervention is part of the agency’s continuous efforts in supporting vulnerable people and communities affected by disasters.
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“This intervention forms part of the agency’s continuous efforts to support vulnerable persons and communities impacted by emergencies and disasters,” she said.
The delegation presented 600 bags each of 25kg rice and “garri” and 100 bags of beans, 25kg. Other items donated included 400 bags of cement, 60 cartons each of seasoning, salt, Vegetable oil and tomato paste.
On his part, Secretary to the Government of Cross River, Prof. Anthony Owan-Enoh, commended the Federal Government and NEMA for their prompt intervention.
Owan-Enoh further appealed for sustained support to ease the hardship faced by residents affected by the fire incidents in the communities.
Speaking on behalf of beneficiaries, Manyo Ayuk thanked the Federal Government, NEMA and the Cross River Government for the timely intervention.
“This relief support is timely and impactful for many of the families here struggling to recover from the devastating fire incidents, and so, we are grateful,” he added.
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