The National Examinations Council, NECO, has dismissed allegations that Government Secondary School, Olowa, in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, where five persons were abducted on Tuesday, operates as a “miracle examination centre.”
The Council expressed sympathy for the victims and commended the Kogi State Government and security agencies for their coordinated efforts that led to the rescue of the remaining four abductees.
However, it rejected comments attributed to the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Hon. Kingsley Fanwo, who reportedly described the school as a “miracle centre.”
In a statement on Friday by its Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Mr. Azeez Sani, NECO described the allegation as false and misleading, insisting that the school is a long-established public institution owned by the Kogi State Government.
It noted that the school has existed for over 40 years and has presented candidates for the NECO Senior School Certificate Examination, SSCE, continuously since 2000.
The Council further explained that the school’s Principal, Elder Daniel Iyamaa, who was among those abducted, is a Grade Level 17 officer in the Kogi State Civil Service.
It also clarified that the abducted examination supervisor, Mr. Solomon Audu, is a Grade Level 12 officer employed by the Kogi State Government and posted to Community Secondary School, Effin.
According to NECO, available records confirm that the abducted candidates are duly registered students of Government Secondary School, Olowa, who were presented for the 2026 NECO SSCE by the school in collaboration with the Kogi State Government.
The Council stressed that all 28 candidates registered by the school for the 2026 SSCE are bona fide students and not external candidates, contrary to the impression created by the Commissioner’s remarks.
To support its position, NECO disclosed the school’s SSCE enrolment over the past five years: 21 candidates in 2021, 20 in 2022, 28 in 2023, 40 in 2024, and 20 in 2025.
It added that the Kogi State Government also paid the WAEC SSCE examination fees for 51 students from the same school in the recently concluded 2026 examination.
The Council further revealed that before the commencement of the 2026 SSCE, its Kogi State Coordinator had formally sought the support of security agencies to ensure adequate protection for examination centres across the state.
It said the move was prompted by the earlier terrorist attack on Government Secondary School, Iluke, in Ijumu Local Government Area during the 2026 WAEC Senior School Certificate Examination.
NECO reiterated that under the leadership of its Registrar and Chief Executive, Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, it maintains a zero-tolerance policy on examination malpractice and has implemented far-reaching reforms to strengthen the credibility and integrity of its examinations.
The Council said the reforms have contributed significantly to a steady decline in cases of examination malpractice over the past five years.
It urged public officials and other stakeholders to verify facts before making public statements capable of damaging the reputation of institutions or creating unnecessary public anxiety.
