Panic as 15 students reportedly go missing on their way to JAMB centre

Fifteen students from Onitsha, Anambra State, have been reported missing after they embarked on a journey to Okigwe, Imo State, to sit for their rescheduled Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination.

The incident came to light after a social media influencer, @UchePOkoye, shared screenshots of a distress message revealing that the students left Onitsha around 6:30 a.m. the previous day and have not returned or made contact since.

According to the message, all 15 students, their school director, his wife, and the driver of the chartered bus transporting them are currently unreachable, with calls to their phone numbers going unanswered.

A concerned message read:
“Good evening sir, my classmates that their JAMB got rescheduled and they had papers yesterday by 6:30 a.m. at Okigwe, Imo State, have been missing. 15 of them, none of their numbers is reachable — including our school director. They left from Onitsha.”

Reacting to the development, @UchePOkoye wrote:
“15 school kids entered a chartered bus from Onitsha yesterday to Okigwe, Imo State, to write their rescheduled JAMB and have been missing since yesterday. The school children, the school owner, his wife, the driver — all unreachable. @JAMBHQ you will never go scot-free!”

The alarming report has ignited outrage and fear across social media, with many Nigerians questioning the wisdom of rescheduling exams in states known for insecurity, especially without localized centers.

See some of the reactions below:

@Daniel_Elviss: “Why didn’t they just remark the sheets or give an average score to all the students affected, like they did in 2017? This is the same rubbish NYSC keeps doing — posting people to insecure states. This country’s recklessness is unmatched.”

@jay_den111: “Why send students to different states instead of letting them write in their original centers? It makes no sense.”

@MrJah18327: “JAMB must be boycotted in the South East. We need our own regional exam system.”

@_Ijebuguy: “When you’re done with this movie, tell your people to release them. You people are just looking for ways to discredit the JAMB registrar after the Mmesoma issue. God will judge.”

@Echeeasy: “Sometimes I blame parents — why allow your kids to leave Onitsha for Okigwe despite the insecurity in the region? Very painful.”

As of the time of this report, JAMB and security agencies have not released an official statement regarding the missing students. The public continues to await urgent updates on their whereabouts.