The National Examinations Council (NECO) has dismissed allegations that Government Secondary School, Olowa, in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, operates as a “miracle examination centre” for examination malpractice, describing the claim as false and misleading.
In a statement issued by its Director of Information and Public Relations, Azeez Sani, the Council sympathised with the victims of Tuesday’s abduction at the examination centre and commended the Kogi State Government and security agencies for securing the release of the remaining four victims.
However, NECO disagreed with comments attributed to the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, who reportedly described the school as a “miracle centre”—a term commonly used for examination centres where malpractice is encouraged.
The Council maintained that Government Secondary School, Olowa, is a long-established public school 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 kidnapped examination supervisor is a Grade Level 12 officer employed by the state government and posted to Community Secondary School, Effin.
The Council added that its records show the abducted candidates were duly registered pupils of Government Secondary School, Olowa, presented for the 2026 NECO SSCE by the school in collaboration with the Kogi State Government.
NECO further clarified that the 28 candidates registered by the school for the 2026 SSCE are bona fide students and not external candidates.
To support its position, the Council released the school’s SSCE enrolment figures over the past five years: 21 candidates in 2021, 20 in 2022, 28 in 2023, 40 in 2024, and 20 in 2025.
It also disclosed that the Kogi State Government paid the examination fees for 51 candidates from the same school during the recently concluded 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
NECO stated that before the commencement of the 2026 SSCE, its Kogi State Coordinator wrote to security agencies requesting adequate security to ensure the smooth conduct of the examination.
According to the Council, the request followed the earlier terrorist attack on Government Secondary School, Iluke, in Ijumu Local Government Area during the 2026 WASSCE.
Reaffirming its commitment to upholding examination integrity, NECO said it operates a zero-tolerance policy on examination malpractice under the leadership of its Registrar and Chief Executive, Dantani Wushishi.
The Council noted that reforms introduced in recent years have significantly reduced cases of examination malpractice and strengthened the credibility of its examinations nationwide.
NECO urged public officials and other stakeholders to verify facts before making public statements capable of damaging the reputation of institutions or creating unnecessary public anxiety.
