The Kogi State Police Command confirmed the safe recovery of four individuals kidnapped by gunmen during an assault on an unauthorized NECO examination site. The incident occurred at the decommissioned Government Secondary School in Olowa Agbajo, located in the Dekina Local Government Area.
Police Commissioner Naziru Bello Kankarofi stated that the captives, including school principal Elder Daniel Iyanda, NECO official Solomon Peter, and two students named Dorcas Sunday and Dorcas, were released on Thursday evening. The group was seized on July 14 while ten students participated in exams at the site.
A collaborative security force involving the police, Nigerian Army, DSS, NSCDC, and local volunteers executed a coordinated search of the area. This intense pressure eventually forced the abductors to release the victims. All four individuals are now safe and receiving support.
Authorities have launched an investigation into why the abandoned facility was operational as an exam center despite being previously shuttered by the state government due to safety risks. Commissioner Kankarofi noted that the school had gained a reputation for examination malpractice. He pledged to prosecute anyone involved in establishing this illicit site, emphasizing that exams must occur only in sanctioned, secure locations.
