Ebule Oritsemeyiwa Precious, a final-year student at the Federal Government College, Warri, has scored 334 out of 400 in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), amid a national trend of low performance reported by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

JAMB recently disclosed that 75 percent of candidates who sat the 2025 UTME scored below 200, while fewer than one percent attained scores above 300. Ebule’s result places him among the top-performing candidates in the country.

According to his UTME result, Ebule scored 98 in Mathematics, 98 in Physics, 85 in Chemistry, and 53 in English. Prior to the main exam, he scored 326 in the mock UTME held on April 10, with 96 in Mathematics, 94 in Physics, 71 in Chemistry, and 65 in English.

Ebule, who contributes to the “MathsGE With MeyiBule” column in Fresh Angle International, is the son of Ebule Anthony Metsese, Co-Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the online publication.

He plans to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Effurun, located in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.

His performance comes at a time when public attention has turned to the steep drop in UTME scores across the country, with education stakeholders expressing concern about the broader implications for tertiary admission and learning outcomes.

A family court in Cross River State, the Calabar Magisterial District, has issued an order compelling the University of Calabar (UNICAL) Teaching Hospital and Mr. Oham Samuel Oke to administer a blood transfusion and other medical interventions necessary to preserve the life of Ruth Oham Samuel, a two-year-old girl currently in intensive care.

The order, issued by Presiding Deputy Chief Registrar, Mrs. V.S.S. Ebaye, was granted in a motion ex-parte dated and filed on May 8, 2025, brought by the Registered Trustees of Basic Rights Counsel Initiative (BRCI) through its counsel, O. N. Tateh, Esq.

The suit, NO: MC/FC/21/2025, has the Registered Trustees of Basic Rights Counsel Initiative (BRCI) as the applicant and the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and Mr. Oham Samuel Oke (father of the child) as the 1st and 2nd respondents.

The enrolled order, signed by the Registrar, Kate Michael Enoh, which SaharaReporters obtained on Friday partly reads: “Upon this motion ex-parte coming before this Honorable Court in its competent jurisdiction on Thursday, the 8th day of May, 2025. And upon hearing the applicant’s counsel, praying the court for the reliefs set out on the face of the motion paper.

“And this Honourable Court having given due consideration to the affidavit filed in support of the application, I am persuaded to hold that the order herein sought is bona fide, meritorious, and giving validity under the Child Rights Law of Cross River State, 2023 and so ought to be granted.

“It is therefore hereby granted as prayed. Consequently, it is hereby ordered as follows: That the 1st respondent, the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, and Mr. Oham Samuel Oke are hereby compelled/directed/mandated/authorised to administer a blood transfusion and/or such medical intervention as may be reasonably required to preserve the life and well-being of Ruth Oham Samuel (F), 2 years, 9 months, currently in their care.

“That an order is hereby made dispensing with the consent of the parent of the said Ruth Oham Samuel in light of the urgent medical necessity.

“That the parents of Ruth Oham Samuel are hereby compelled within their means to bear the financial implications of the treatment of their child, Ruth Oham Samuel.”

However, SaharaReporters gathered that the order was issued following the refusal of Mr. Oham Samuel Oke, the father of little Ruth, to administer any blood transfusion on the girl due to their faith.

An eyewitness, James Ibor, told SaharaReporters that Oke and his family had mobilised other members to the hospital to ensure that no blood transfusion was effected on the dying child.

“They are getting physical and trying to take the child away from the hospital against medical advice,” Ibor said.

Meanwhile, human rights organisation, Humanist Enabling Love Project (HELP), has applauded the Basic Rights Counsel Initiative (BRCI) for obtaining a court order to treat Ruth, who urgently needs a blood transfusion in Calabar, Cross River State.

The group, in a statement by its founder, Dr. Leo Igwe, said that doctors at the university teaching hospital had recommended an urgent blood transfusion for Ruth, or she would pass away within 72 hours.

Regrettably, the parents of Ruth declined, stating that they were members of Jehovah’s Witnesses and their faith did not allow blood transfusion.

HELP commended BRCI for taking this life-saving measure and urged medical officers to be vigilant and ensure that parents and guardians do not endanger or undermine the health and treatment of children using their mistaken and misguided faith positions.

The statement partly read, “HELP commends BRCI for taking this life-saving measure. It urges medical officers to be vigilant and ensure that parents and guardians do not endanger or undermine the health and treatment of children using their mistaken and misguided faith positions.”

The group also pointed out that the belief against blood transfusion is based on biblical texts and that this belief is not divine but rather human.

“Nigeria must pay close attention to this development, as there are over 400,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in the country, and efforts must be made to restrain parents who are Jehovah’s Witnesses Travel guides

from harming their children and relatives using their misguided faith notions,” Igwe stated.

A 53-year-old British-Nigerian art expert, Oghenochuko ‘Ochuko’ Ojiri, has pleaded guilty in a terrorism financing case after failing to report a series of high-value art sales to a man sanctioned over alleged links to Hezbollah.

Ojiri, who has appeared as a freelance expert on BBC programmes including Bargain Hunt, admitted eight counts of failing to make a disclosure during the course of business under the Terrorism Act 2000. This marks the first prosecution of its kind in the United Kingdom.

According to a BBC report, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard that between October 2020 and December 2021, Ojiri sold artwork worth £140,000 to Nazem Ahmad, a man sanctioned by the United States in 2019 and later by the UK government in 2023 for alleged support to the proscribed group Hezbollah.

Prosecuting, Lyndon Harris told the court: “There is one discussion where Ojiri is party to a conversation where it is apparent a lot of people have known for years about [Ahmad’s] terrorism links.”

He also said: “Ramp Gallery engaged a third party to advise on compliance matters,” but added that the advice was “not properly acted on.”

Ojiri, who founded Ramp Gallery—now operating as Ojiri Gallery—in east London, dealt directly with Ahmad, negotiated sales, and congratulated him on his purchases.

The UK government previously noted that Ahmad had “an extensive art collection in the UK” and conducted business “with multiple UK-based artists, art galleries and auction houses.”

Hezbollah, a Shia political and militant organisation based in Lebanon and backed by Iran, is proscribed as a terrorist group by both the UK and the US.

Ojiri’s prosecution followed investigations by the Metropolitan Police’s specialist arts and antiques unit, in collaboration with the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) and HMRC.

Under the Terrorism Act, individuals are required to notify authorities if they suspect a business associate is involved in funding proscribed groups.

Ojiri is listed on the Bargain Hunt website as one of the show’s experts. He is not a BBC employee and has not appeared on any of the broadcaster’s programmes since 2023.

“It would not be appropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings,” a BBC spokesperson said.

District Judge Briony Clarke granted Ojiri bail and ordered him to surrender his passport. His barrister, Gavin Irwin, told the court that Ojiri is not considered a flight risk.

Sentencing has been scheduled for June 6 at the Old Bailey.