Police: Godswill Obioma, NECO registrar, wasn’t killed by gunmen

The Niger state police command says Godswill Obioma, registrar of the National Examinations Council (NECO), was not killed by gunmen. 

Wasiu Abiodun, the command’s spokesman, said this in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Obioma, who was appointed registrar of the examination body in May 2020, died on Monday in Abuja.

There are conflicting reports on how he died. While some reports say he was assassinated, others say he died after a brief illness.

The police, however, confirmed that Obioma died after a brief illness, dismissing the reports that he was murdered as fake news.

“This story is totally false, untrue and a pure element of fake news circulating in some section of the social media and national dailies that NECO Registrar, Prof. Godswill Obioma, was murdered by unknown gunmen in Minna,” the police said.

“It is important to state categorically that on May 31, the Registrar/CEO National Examinations Council (NECO), Prof. Godswill Obioma, was rushed to National Hospital, Abuja, by his family members where he was later confirmed dead, after a brief illness.

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