The National Examinations Council (NECO) has dismissed 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 inconsistent with official records.
The Council made the clarification in a statement issued on Friday by its Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Azeez Sani, in response to remarks reportedly made by the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, following Tuesday’s abduction of five persons connected with the ongoing 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) at the school.
While expressing sympathy to the victims and commending the Kogi State Government and security agencies for rescuing four of the abductees, NECO rejected the commissioner’s description of the school, insisting that Government Secondary School, Olowa, is a long-established public institution with a documented history of participating in national examinations.
According to the Council, the school, which 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.
NECO also clarified 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 added that the kidnapped examination supervisor, Mr. Solomon Audu, is a Grade Level 12 officer employed by the state government and posted to Community Secondary School, Effin.
The examination body further dismissed suggestions that the candidates registered by the school were irregular entrants.
It stated that all 28 candidates presented by Government Secondary School, Olowa, for the 2026 SSCE are duly enrolled students of the institution and not external candidates, as implied in some reports.
To support its position, NECO released the school’s SSCE enrolment figures for the past five years, showing it presented 21 candidates in 2021, 20 in 2022, 28 in 2023, 40 in 2024, and 20 in 2025.
The Council added that the Kogi State Government also paid the examination fees of 51 students from the school for the recently concluded 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), further affirming its status as a recognised public secondary school.
On security concerns, NECO disclosed that before the commencement of the 2026 SSCE, its Kogi State Coordinator formally requested enhanced security at examination centres across the state. The request followed an earlier attack on Government Secondary School, Iluke, in Ijumu Local Government Area, during the 2026 WASSCE.
Reaffirming its commitment to credible 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 noted that reforms introduced in recent years have significantly reduced examination malpractice nationwide and strengthened public confidence in its examinations.
NECO also urged public officials and stakeholders to verify facts before making public statements capable of damaging the reputation of institutions or creating unnecessary public anxiety.
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