NECO Rejects ‘Miracle Centre’ Claim, Defends Kogi School After Abduction

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has dismissed allegations that Government Secondary School, Olowa, in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State operates as a "miracle examination centre," insisting the claim is false and inconsistent with its official records.

The Council issued the clarification on Friday in response to comments reportedly made by the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, following Tuesday's abduction of five people connected with the ongoing 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) at the school.

While expressing sympathy for the victims of the attack and commending the Kogi State Government and security agencies for securing the rescue of the remaining four abductees, NECO maintained that the school is a long-established public institution with a documented history of participating in national examinations.

In a statement signed by its Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Azeez Sani, the examination body said Government Secondary School, Olowa, is owned by the Kogi State Government, has existed for more than 40 years and has consistently presented candidates for the NECO Senior School Certificate Examination since 2000.

The Council also clarified the status of two of the abductees. According to NECO, the school's principal, Elder Daniel Iyamaa, who was kidnapped during the incident, is a Grade Level 17 officer in the Kogi State Civil Service. It added that the abducted examination supervisor, Mr. Solomon Audu, is a Grade Level 12 officer employed by the state government and posted to Community Secondary School, Effin.

NECO further rejected suggestions that the candidates sitting the examination were irregular entrants.

According to the Council, all 28 candidates registered by Government Secondary School, Olowa, for the 2026 SSCE are bona fide students of the institution who were duly enrolled in collaboration with the Kogi State Government, and not external candidates as had been implied in some public comments.

To support its position, NECO released the school's enrolment figures for the Senior School Certificate Examination over the past five years. The school presented 21 candidates in 2021, 20 in 2022, 28 in 2023, 40 in 2024 and 20 candidates in 2025.

The Council also disclosed that the Kogi State Government paid the examination fees of 51 candidates from the same school for the recently concluded 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), describing it as further evidence that the institution is a recognised public secondary school.

NECO revealed that, ahead of the commencement of the 2026 SSCE, its Kogi State Coordinator had formally written to security agencies requesting enhanced protection for examination centres across the state because of prevailing security concerns.

The Council explained that the request was prompted by an earlier attack on Government Secondary School, Iluke, in Ijumu Local Government Area during the 2026 WASSCE.

Reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding the credibility of public examinations, NECO said it maintains a zero-tolerance policy on examination malpractice under the leadership of its Registrar and Chief Executive, Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi.

The Council added that reforms introduced in recent years have significantly reduced examination malpractice nationwide and strengthened public confidence in its examinations.

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.