NECO denies Kogi school is miracle centre after abductions

The National Examinations Council has forcefully rejected claims that a Kogi State school where five people were abducted this week is an illicit "miracle centre," defending the institution's long-standing legitimacy. The statement, issued on Friday, July 17, 2026, came in response to comments attributed to the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, following the abduction of the principal, an examination supervisor, and candidates at Government Secondary School, Olowa, in Dekina Local Government Area on Tuesday.

The council's Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Azeez Sani, stated that the school is a legitimate public institution owned by the Kogi State Government and has operated for over 40 years. He emphasized that the school has presented candidates for the NECO Senior School Certificate Examination every year since 2000. Sani provided detailed enrolment records for the past five years, showing the school presented between 20 and 40 candidates annually for the SSCE. He further noted that the Kogi State Government paid the West African Senior School Certificate Examination fees for 51 candidates from the same school in...