Council says Government Secondary School, Olowa, has operated legally since 2000 and insists all abducted candidates were duly registered students.
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has refuted claims that Government Secondary School, Olowa, in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, operates as a “miracle examination centre,” describing the allegation as false and misleading.
In a statement issued by its Director of Information and Public Relations, Azeez Sani, the Council expressed sympathy for victims of Tuesday’s abduction at the school and commended the Kogi State Government and security agencies for rescuing the remaining four victims.
NECO, however, faulted comments attributed to the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, who reportedly described the institution as a “miracle centre”, a term commonly associated with examination malpractice.
The Council stated that Government Secondary School, Olowa, is a public institution established by the Kogi State Government and has presented candidates for the NECO Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) since 2000.
According to NECO, the abducted principal is a Grade Level 17 officer in the state civil service, while the kidnapped examination supervisor is a Grade Level 12 officer posted from Community Secondary School, Effin.
The examination body further clarified that all 28 candidates registered by the school for the 2026 SSCE are bona fide students and not external candidates. It also released enrollment records showing that the school presented 20 candidates in 2025, 40 in 2024, 28 in 2023, 20 in 2022, and 21 in 2021.
NECO disclosed that the Kogi State Government equally paid examination fees for 51 candidates from the school during the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The Council noted that its Kogi State office had written to security agencies before the commencement of the 2026 SSCE, requesting adequate security following an earlier attack on Government Secondary School, Iluke, during the WASSCE.
Reaffirming its zero-tolerance policy on examination malpractice, NECO said reforms introduced under its Registrar and Chief Executive, Dantani Wushishi, have significantly improved the credibility of its examinations nationwide.
The Council urged public officials and stakeholders to verify facts before making statements capable of damaging the reputation of institutions or creating unnecessary public anxiety.