In a press statement signed by NECO’s Ag. Director, Information and Public Relations, Azeez Sani, said the Council strongly disagrees with the description reportedly given by the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Hon. Kingsley Fanwo.
“While the Council sympathises with the victims and commends the Kogi State Government and the security agencies for their coordinated efforts which has led to the rescue of the remaining four victims from captivity, it strongly disagrees with the statement credited to the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Hon. Kingsley Fanwo, who described the school as a “miracle centre”,” the statement noted.
Recall that the incident had drawn wide attention after the Kogi State Police Command described the centre as a “miracle centre”.
According to the police, the attack occurred while 10 candidates were sitting for the ongoing NECO examination at the abandoned school premises.
Police said preliminary investigations showed the school had earlier been shut down by the Kogi State Government due to its remote location and security concerns, and that the abandoned premises were allegedly being used illegally as a “special examination centre”.
The command also said investigators were probing claims that the classroom had become notorious for examination malpractice and warned that anyone found to have facilitated the illegal operation would face prosecution.
However, NECO while setting the record straight, stated that the school is owned by the Kogi State Government and has existed for over 40 years, and has been presenting candidates for the NECO Senior School Certificate Examination since the year 2000.
According to the Council, available records show 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 conjunction with the Kogi State Government.
It added that the 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.
“Furthermore, the Principal of the school, Elder Daniel Iyamaa, who was among those abducted, is a Grade Level 17 officer in the Kogi State Civil Service.
“Similarly, the kidnapped supervisor, Mr. Solomon Audu, is a Grade Level 12 officer employed by the Kogi State Government and posted to Community Secondary School, Effin,” the statement said.
NECO further disclosed the school’s enrolment figures for the NECO SSCE over the last five years, noting 20 candidates in 2025, 40 in 2024, 28 in 2023, 20 in 2022 and 21 in 2021.
It said that in the recently concluded 2026 WAEC SSCE, the Kogi State Government also paid examination fees for 51 candidates in the same school.
NECO said the State Coordinator in Kogi had written to security agencies before the commencement of the 2026 SSCE to solicit support for the smooth conduct of the examination, a step informed by a previous terrorist attack on Government Secondary School, Iluke in Ijumu Local Government Area during the 2026 WAEC.
The Council, under the leadership of Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, said it maintains zero tolerance for examination malpractice and has introduced reforms that have led to a significant reduction in reported cases over the past five years.
It urged public officials and stakeholders to verify information before making statements capable of undermining the reputation of institutions or causing unnecessary anxiety.
