• Kizz Daniel arrested, freed from police custody in Tanzania
• Health workers absent as measles outbreak kills 50 in Rivers
• Nigerian Novelist, and director, Biyi Bandele is dead
• UK museum to return 72 looted Benin artifacts
• Exam Malpractice: WAEC withholds 365,564 results

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the five top Nigerian news stories you shouldn‘t miss:

Kizz Daniel arrested, freed from police custody in Tanzania

The musician Oluwatobiloba Anidugbe, also known as Kizz Daniel, has reportedly been released from Tanzanian police custody, according to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission.

On Monday, a video that went viral on social media showed the musician being taken into custody by Tanzanian authorities.

Although no official comment was made by the authorities, it was revealed that the singer’s refusal to appear at a local event may have had something to do with the arrest.

In response, NiDCOM tweeted that the artist was being detained by Tanzania’s Oyster Bay Police Station Civil Police in Dar es Salaam.

“We are presently engaging our Mission and see what can be done. We will keep the public posted with our investigation. Thank you,” the Commission added.

Giving an update, NiDCOM said, “Kizz Daniel has been released. His legal team will, however, report back to the police tomorrow while he will subsequently return to Nigeria.”

Health workers absent as measles outbreak kills 50 in Rivers

Community leaders in Rivers State’s Kugbo Clan, Abua/Odual Local Government Area, Wednesday urged urgent government action in response to a measles outbreak that they claimed had killed 50 people.

It was learned that the communicable disease, which is thought to have been first identified in the Amurouttoru-Kugbo community, has spread to the clan’s Emago-Kugbo and Akani-Kugbo communities and has resulted in child fatalities.

“We have a scenario that is destroying Okugbo Clan, which includes Emakgbo, Akani, and Akpotu,” said Levi Marcus, chairman of the community development committee for the Emago Kugbo clan.

“Based on what we saw and verified, 20 children died in Akani-Okugbo. The same thing will happen if you travel to Amuruotoru once more. 15 cases have been documented so far. Although we made every effort, the authorities did not respond.”

Edoghotu Edwin, the Emago-Kugbo youth leader, declared: “The current situation is awful. The children are suffering because measles has spread throughout the neighborhood. In Emago, almost 15 kids have passed away.

“The issue now includes Akani and Amuruotor. We are requesting assistance from the government because there are no health workers available to address the problem.”

Gynecologist Dr. Eli Sokarimie said that the lack of expert surveillance, failure to immunize infants, and sensitization of residents in the remote Abua/Odual region may have made the problem worse.

Mother Baby and Adolescent Global Health Foundation Executive Director Sokarimie stated: “Rivers State had the lowest prevalence of measles infection, at 11 per 100,000 cases.

However, data indicate that the prevalence of measles among children under the age of five has been rising steadily and persistently in Nigeria.”

Nigerian Novelist, and director, Biyi Bandele is dead

Biyi Bandele, a novelist, playwright, and filmmaker, has passed away.

He passed away on Sunday in Lagos, according to a statement issued by his family on Monday.

He was 54.

The deceased’s daughter, Temi Bandele, who spoke for the family in the statement, called him “a prodigiously talented writer and film-maker, as well as a loyal friend and beloved father.”

“He was a storyteller to his bones, with an unblinking perspective, singular voice, and wisdom which spoke boldly through all of his art, in poetry, novels, plays, and on screen. He told stories that made a profound impact and inspired many all over the world. His legacy will live on through his work.

“He was taken from us much too soon. He had already said so much so beautifully and had so much more to say.

“We ask everyone to please respect the privacy of his family and friends as we grieve his loss,” the statement read.

UK museum to return 72 looted Benin artifacts

The Nigerian government was informed on Sunday by London’s Horniman Museum that it would get 72 artifacts, including 12 bronze plaques known as Benin Bronzes, which were stolen from Benin City by British soldiers in 1897.

The Benin Bronzes are a group of some of Africa’s most important cultural artifacts. They were produced from brass and bronze in the once-powerful Kingdom of Benin in what is now southern Nigeria from at least the 16th century onwards.

They were taken during a British military incursion along with thousands of other objects, and they are now on display in museums around Europe and the US.

While Western institutions struggle with the cultural legacy of colonialism, African nations have fought for years to retrieve works looted by explorers and colonizers.

German officials followed the lead established by Jesus College at Cambridge University and the Quai Branly museum in Paris last year by returning the first of more than 1,100 valuable sculptures to Nigeria last month.

The Horniman said Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) had requested the return of the artifacts at the beginning of the year.

It said: “The evidence is very clear that these objects were acquired through force, and external consultation supported our view that it is both moral and appropriate to return their ownership to Nigeria,” said Eve Salomon, chair of the trustees of the Horniman Museum and Gardens.

“The Horniman is pleased to be able to take this step, and we look forward to working with the NCMM to secure longer-term care for these precious artifacts.”

NCMM Director-General, Abba Tijani, welcomed the decision, saying he looked forward to discussing loan agreements and collaborations with the Horniman.

The British Museum in London, which has the largest and most significant collection of Benin Bronzes, is expected to feel more pressure as a result of the repatriation.

Exam Malpractice: WAEC withholds 365,564 results

The West African Examinations Council, WAEC, withheld the results of 365,564 applicants who took the West African Senior School Certificate Test (WASSCE) this year due to suspicions of examination fraud.

Of the 1,601,047 test takers overall, the withheld results represent 22.83 percent of them.

This information was provided on Monday by Mr. Patrick Areghan, Head of the Nigerian National Office of WAEC, during a breakdown of candidate performance in Lagos.

“The analysis of the statistics of the candidate’s performance in the examination reveals that of the 1,601,047 candidates who sat for the examination, 1,409,529 candidates, representing 88.04 percent, obtained credit and above in a minimum of any five (5) subjects, including or excluding English Language and/or Mathematics;

Additionally, 1,222,505 candidates, or 76.36 percent, received credits in at least five (5) disciplines, including English Language and Mathematics, and above.

“Of this number, 597,811 i.e. 37.34% were male candidates, while 624,694 i.e. 39.02% were female candidates. The percentage of candidates in this category in the WASSCE for school candidates, 2021, that is, those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, was 81.70%. Thus, there is a 5.34% decrease in performance in this regard,” Areghan explained.

The WAEC boss noted that 1713 special needs candidates sat for the 2022 WASSCE.

The organization did, however, highlight some of the difficulties it overcame, namely the need to ensure that applicants in the South East and North West who were impacted by security concerns took the exam at a later date and that their results were also made public.

Areghan commented on the rise in irregularities by saying, “The results of 365,564 candidates, or 22.83 percent of all candidates who took the examination, are being withheld in connection with various reported incidences of examination malpractice.

“The difference between this and the 10.9 percent seen in the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2021 is (11.74%). The causes behind this are not implausible. The candidates are no longer capable of learning.

Poor exam preparation is prevalent. The so-called “Expo,” which is nonexistent, is used excessively. When candidates entered the examination room and realized everything they had celebrated was a lie, they merely became frustrated.

Because of this, some of them sadly failed the test when they would have passed if they had trusted in themselves and worked hard to prepare.”