The Kogi State Government says security operatives have rescued the four persons abducted during Tuesday’s attack on a National Examinations Council (NECO) examination centre in Olowa, Dekina Local Government Area.
The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, announced the development in a statement on Thursday, saying the victims regained their freedom following a coordinated rescue operation ordered by Governor Ahmed Ododo.
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“Shortly after the kidnapping incident, the Governor directed the State Security Adviser, Commander Jerry Omodara (Rtd), to coordinate the rescue operation,” Mr Fanwo said. “The State Security Adviser and the leadership of the 12 Brigade and the 21 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, the DSS, the Police and local security operatives stormed the forest to ensure the victims were rescued.”
He said the sustained military and security operations forced the kidnappers to abandon the victims and flee.
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“A few hours later, the victims regained their freedom. The sustained pressure on the kidnappers and the saturation of the forest by heavily armed security personnel forced the criminals to abandon the victims and flee,” the commissioner said.
According to him, the rescued victims include the school principal, Daniel Iyanaa, the NECO official, Solomon Audu, and two female candidates.
“We can confirm that the School Principal, the NECO official and the two students have all been rescued safely. They are hale and hearty and are currently with security agencies for debriefing and necessary medical checks,” Mr Fanwo added.
He said security operatives remained in the forest to apprehend the fleeing suspects.
The commissioner commended the Nigerian Army, the State Security Services (SSS), the Nigeria Police Force, local vigilantes and other security agencies for the operation. He also thanked President Bola Tinubu, saying the president directed security chiefs to provide the state with the necessary support to rescue the victims.
Follow-up to school abduction
The rescue comes barely a day after gunmen attacked Government Secondary School, Olowa, while candidates were writing the ongoing NECO examination.
PREMIUM TIMES reported on 15 July that the attackers abducted five people, including the school principal, a NECO ad hoc official and three candidates. The Kogi State Police Command later said one student had been rescued shortly after the attack, leaving four victims in captivity.
The state government subsequently announced a multi-agency rescue operation involving the 12 Brigade and 21 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, the SSS, the police, the Kogi State Vigilante Service and local hunters.
At the time, the government said preliminary findings indicated that the examination centre was located in a remote area and was allegedly being used as an unauthorised “miracle centre” for external candidates.
Security incidents
The school attack was the latest in a string of kidnapping incidents in Kogi State.
On 9 July, suspected kidnappers ambushed a funeral convoy along the Ochadamu-Ejule Road in Ofu Local Government Area, abducting nine mourners, including two officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), while they were conveying the remains of Deputy Corps Commander Augustine Ikwue to Benue State for burial. The kidnappers later abandoned the deceased officer’s corpse and demanded N450 million ransom for the victims.
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Earlier, on 10 June, suspected terrorists attacked Government Secondary School, Iluke Bunu, in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area in what authorities described as an attempt to abduct students. Three people, including the school’s vice principal and a six-year-old child, were killed before security forces repelled the attack.
Following that incident, the Kogi government announced that security operatives had killed the alleged mastermind, Kachalla Ibrahim Batijo, during a subsequent operation. Authorities also imposed restrictions on commercial motorcycle operations in parts of Kabba/Bunu, banned night travel on some state roads and intensified intelligence-led operations targeting kidnappers and bandits.
The state has also recorded a series of military successes in recent weeks, including the rescue of kidnapped victims during operations by the 12 Brigade, the interception of a cache of arms allegedly meant for criminal groups, and the recovery of about 1,000 rustled livestock from suspected bandits.
Despite those operations, kidnappings have continued in parts of the state, prompting the launch of joint security initiatives, including the recently inaugurated Benue-Kogi Operation Handshake Patrol, designed to improve intelligence sharing and combat cross-border crimes. Security agencies say operations are continuing to dismantle criminal networks operating across Kogi and neighbouring states.
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