NECO dismisses Kogi’s ‘Miracle Centre’ claim

Mariam Abeeb

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has rejected the Kogi state government’s claim that Government Secondary School, Olowa, in Dekina LGA, where gunmen abducted five persons during the ongoing Senior school certificate examination (SSCE), is a “miracle centre”.

In a statement on Friday, Azeez Sani, acting director of information and public relations at NECO, described the allegation as false and said the examination centre is a long-established public school owned by the Kogi state government.

The council’s reaction followed comments by Kingsley Fanwo, Kogi commissioner for information and communications, who had described the school as an “unauthorised” or “miracle” examination centre after Tuesday’s attack.

NECO sympathised with the victims of the attack and commended the Kogi government and security agencies for securing the release of the remaining four abductees.

However, it said the commissioner’s remarks created a misleading impression about the status of the school.

According to the council, Government Secondary School, Olowa, has existed for more than 40 years and has been presenting candidates for the NECO SSCE since 2000.

NECO 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.

The council said the abducted examination supervisor, Solomon Audu, is also a Kogi state government employee on Grade Level 12 and is posted to Community Secondary School, Effin.

NECO further said records show that the candidates abducted during the attack are duly registered students of Government Secondary School, Olowa, and not external candidates as suggested by the commissioner’s comments.

It added that the school registered 28 bona fide candidates for the 2026 NECO SSCE in collaboration with the Kogi government.

To support its position, the examination body released the school’s NECO enrolment figures over the past five years:

2025 – 20 candidates
2024 – 40 candidates
2023 – 28 candidates
2022 – 20 candidates
2021 – 21 candidates
NECO also disclosed that the Kogi state government paid the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) fees for 51 candidates from the same school in 2026.

The council said it had written to security agencies in Kogi before the commencement of this year’s SSCE, requesting enhanced security following an earlier terrorist attack on Government Secondary School, Iluke, in Ijumu LGA during the 2026 WASSCE.

NECO said the request formed part of measures to ensure the smooth conduct of the examination across the state.

The council reiterated its zero-tolerance policy on examination malpractice, noting that reforms introduced under the leadership of Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, NECO registrar, have significantly reduced reported cases of malpractice over the past five years.

NECO urged public officials and other stakeholders to verify information before making public statements capable of undermining the reputation of institutions or causing unnecessary public anxiety.