(Gunmen. Photo by Vanguard News)
The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of a school principal, a NECO ad hoc staff member, and four students who were writing the ongoing National Examinations Council examination at Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, in Dekina Local Government Area of the state.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at about 5:25 p.m., when the school came under att@ck while students were sitting for their examination.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Command’s spokesperson, ASP Salisu Oyiza, said, “During the incident, four students, the school principal and one NECO ad hoc staff member were abducted by the attackers.
A combined team of the police and other security agencies immediately launched a search-and-rescue operation and is currently on the trail of the assailants.
So far, one of the abducted students has been rescued, while efforts are ongoing to secure the safe rescue of the remaining victims and apprehend the perpetrators.”
She disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, Naziru Kankarofi, alongside the Brigade Commander and the State Security Adviser to the Governor of Kogi State, were on their way to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment, adding that a more detailed press release would follow once further verified information becomes available.
In a related development, it was earlier reported that the Command had confirmed the abduction of a corpse by suspected b@ndits.
It was gathered that the corpse belonged to a Federal Road Safety Corps official, Augustine Ikwue, who died in Lokoja and was being transported to Otukpo, Benue State, for burial.
Responding to an enquiry, ASP Oyiza confirmed the incident, noting that the corpse had since been recovered and deposited at the Elemona Mortuary in Ejule.
“The Command confirms that an abduction incident occurred on 9 July 2026 along the Ochadamu-Ejule Expressway when armed hoodlums attacked a Hummer bus conveying a corpse from Lokoja towards the eastern part of the country and abducted the occupants into the bush,” she said.
According to her, upon receiving the report, police operatives, working alongside the military, the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, and Community Policing members, swiftly mobilised to the scene and commenced bush-combing and rescue operations.
“The abandoned vehicle and casket were recovered, while the casket was evacuated to Elemona Mortuary, Ejule,” she added, noting that efforts remained ongoing to rescue the victims and apprehend those responsible, with further updates to be provided as more information becomes available.
