The National Examinations Council (NECO) has denied allegations that Government Secondary School, Olowa, in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, operates as a “miracle examination centre” where malpractice is promoted.
NECO described the allegation as false and misleading, while expressing sympathy to victims of Tuesday’s abduction at the examination centre. The council also commended the Kogi State Government and security agencies for efforts that led to the release of the remaining four victims.
In a statement, NECO’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Azeez Sani, faulted comments attributed to the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, who reportedly referred to the school as a “miracle centre” — a term commonly used to describe examination venues associated with malpractice.
The examination body said Government Secondary School, Olowa, is a long-standing public institution owned by the Kogi State Government and has been presenting candidates for the NECO Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) since 2000.
According to NECO, the school’s principal, who was among those abducted, is a Grade Level 17 officer in the Kogi State Civil Service, while the examination supervisor taken by the attackers is a Grade Level 12 state government employee posted to Community Secondary School, Effin.
The council stated that its records show the abducted candidates were genuine students of Government Secondary School, Olowa, who were registered by the school in collaboration with the Kogi State Government for the 2026 NECO SSCE.
NECO further clarified that the 28 candidates registered by the school for the examination were regular students and not external candidates.
To support its claim, the council released the school’s SSCE enrolment figures for the past five years, showing that 20 candidates were registered in 2025, 40 in 2024, 28 in 2023, 20 in 2022 and 21 in 2021.
The council also alleged that the Kogi State Government paid examination fees for 51 candidates from the same school who participated in the recently concluded 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
NECO added that ahead of the commencement of the 2026 SSCE, its Kogi State coordinator had formally contacted security agencies in the state, requesting adequate protection to ensure the safe and successful conduct of the examination.
