NECO, Police clarify cause of registrar’s death

…fault assasination report

By Tobi Adetunji

Management of the National Examinations Council (NECO) has faulted the claims that its Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, Professor Godswill Obioma, was killed.

NECO spokesman, Azeez Sani, quoted family sources as saying that late Obioma died on Monday after a brief illness.

“This is contrary to insinuations in the social media that the late registrar was assassinated in his residence in Minna,” he said while appealing to the staff of the council to remain calm.

In the same vein,  the Niger State Police Command corroborated the account of NECO and condemned the reports that Professor Obioma was murdered by gunmen in Minna.

“This story is totally false, untrue, and a pure element of fake news. It is important to state categorically that on 31st May 2021 the Registrar/CEO National Examinations Council (NECO), Professor Godswill Obioma was rushed to the National Hospital, Abuja by his family members where he was later confirmed dead, after a brief illness,” said a statement by the command’s spokesman, Wasiu Abiodun.

It added, “However, the family of the deceased has also confirmed the incident and formally notified the management and staff of NECO of the demise of the registrar.

“Members of the public are hereby urged to disregard the fake news and news reporters are advised to always verify their report before publication to avoid creating unnecessary panic and fear in the public domain.”

Professor Obioma was appointed as NECO registrar by President Muhammadu Buhari on May 14, 2020, and was a former Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC).

Until his appointment as NECO registrar, he was the Ebonyi State Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).