NECO denies operating ‘miracle exam centre’ in Kogi
By Uji A Iliyasu Abuja
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has denied allegations that its examination centre at Government Secondary School, Olowa, in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, is a “miracle centre”, following the abduction of five persons at the school on Tuesday.
Ag. Director, Information and Public Relations, Azeez Sani, said in a statement that the Council sympathised with the victims and commended the Kogi State Government and security agencies for the coordinated efforts that led to the rescue of four of the five abducted persons. He, however, disagreed with a statement credited to the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, describing the school as a “miracle centre”.
Mr Sani said the school, owned by the Kogi State Government, had existed for over 40 years and had presented candidates for the NECO Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) since 2000.
He added 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, while the kidnapped supervisor, Mr Solomon Audu, is a Grade Level 12 officer posted to Community Secondary School, Effin.
According to the Council, records showed that the abducted candidates were duly registered students presented for the 2026 NECO SSCE by the school in conjunction with the Kogi State Government.
It said the 28 candidates registered by the school for the examination were bona fide students, not external candidates, contrary to the impression created by the Commissioner.
NECO gave the school’s SSCE enrolment over the past five years as 20 candidates in 2025; 40 in 2024; 28 in 2023; 20 in 2022, and 21 in 2021.
It added that the Kogi State Government also paid examination fees for 51 candidates from the school in the recently concluded 2026 WAEC SSCE.
Mr Sani said the NECO State Coordinator in Kogi had, before the commencement of the 2026 SSCE, written to security agencies in the state to solicit their support for the smooth conduct of the examination, a step he said was informed by the earlier terrorist attack on Government Secondary School, Iluke, in Ijumu Local Government Area during the 2026 WAEC SSCE.
He said NECO, under the leadership of Prof. Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, maintained zero tolerance for examination malpractice and had introduced reforms that had significantly reduced malpractice cases over the past five years.
The Council urged public officials and stakeholders to verify information before making public statements capable of undermining institutional reputations or causing unnecessary public anxiety.