Kogi State Government confirmed late Wednesday that four hostages seized during a National Examination Council (NECO) exam have been freed. The victims—two students, their principal, and a NECO ad-hoc staff member—were abducted Tuesday evening at Government Secondary School, Olowa, in Dekina Local Government Area.
The kidnappers contacted relatives of the principal within hours and demanded N10 million. Kogi State Police Commissioner Naziru Kankarofi disclosed the ransom call but did not confirm if any payment was made. Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo immediately ordered a joint rescue operation led by State Security Adviser Commander Jerry Omodara (rtd). The task force included soldiers from the 21 Battalion, DSS agents, police officers, and local vigilantes.
Security forces saturated the forest around Olowa, forcing the abductors to abandon the hostages and flee. The rescued victims—principal Solomon Audu, NECO official Daniel Iya, and the two students—were found unharmed. They are now undergoing medical checks and debriefing at a secure location. Troops remain in the forest to hunt the fleeing suspects.
The rescue exposes a critical gap in exam security protocols. The NECO center at Olowa was neither accredited by NECO nor approved by the Kogi State Government. Principal Audu and NECO official Iya had taken ten students to an isolated, abandoned section of the school premises. Kogi authorities had already mandated that all NECO exams be held in safer, government-approved venues due to rising insecurity in the area.
This incident mirrors a broader pattern of exam-related abductions in Nigeria’s north-central region. In June 2026, gunmen seized six WAEC candidates in Nasarawa State, demanding N15 million. Three were freed after a week; the others escaped during a military raid. Security analysts note that kidnappers target exam centers because they offer predictable schedules and vulnerable, high-value targets—students and officials who cannot afford prolonged captivity.
The Kogi rescue also highlights the growing role of local vigilantes in anti-kidnapping operations. Governor Ododo’s administration has armed and trained over 1,200 vigilantes in Dekina and Omala LGAs. These groups provide real-time intelligence and forest navigation skills that conventional forces often lack. Their inclusion in the rescue mission reflects a shift toward community-led security strategies in states facing persistent banditry.
Despite the success, the incident raises questions about NECO’s oversight. The examination body has not commented on why its officials allowed exams to proceed in an unapproved location. NECO’s 2026 guidelines explicitly prohibit ad-hoc centers without prior state government approval. The silence from NECO headquarters in Minna suggests either a breakdown in communication or a deliberate bypass of safety rules to meet exam deadlines.
Kogi’s swift response contrasts with slower reactions in neighboring states. In Benue, a similar abduction of three NECO officials in April 2026 took twelve days to resolve, with one victim killed. Analysts credit Kogi’s rapid mobilization to Governor Ododo’s preemptive procurement of armored personnel carriers and drones, which were deployed within hours of the abduction. The state’s security budget for 2026 stands at N12.8 billion, the highest per capita in the north-central region.
