The Kogi State Government has launched a security operation to rescue four persons abducted from Government Secondary School, Olowa, in Dekina Local Government Area during the ongoing National Examinations Council (NECO) examination.
The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, announced the operation in a statement on Wednesday.
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Mr Fanwo said Governor Ahmed Ododo directed security agencies to deploy all available resources to secure the victims’ release.
“The Kogi State Government has mobilised a massive multi-agency security operation to secure the safe rescue of four persons abducted from Government Secondary School (GSS), Olowa in Dekina Local Government Area during the ongoing National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations,” Mr Fanwo said.
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According to him, the operation is being coordinated by the State Security Adviser, Jerry Omodara, and involves the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Kogi State Vigilante Service, local hunters and other security outfits.
He said advanced technology was also being deployed to support the operation and that “encouraging progress is being recorded.”
The government identified the victims as the school’s principal, Daniel Iyanaa; a NECO official, Solomon Audu; and two female candidates, Miss Dorcas Sunday and Miss Dorcas.
Mr Fanwo said five people were initially abducted during the attack, but one victim had since been rescued.
“The Kogi State Government… stresses that this does not diminish its responsibility to protect every resident and every Nigerian within its borders. The victims are our people, and the Government will spare no effort in ensuring their safe rescue and the arrest of those responsible for the crime,” he said.
The commissioner said preliminary findings indicated that the examination centre, located in a remote area, was being used as a “miracle centre” for external candidates and that the arrangements did not conform to the state’s security framework for the ongoing NECO examinations.
He added that operational details would not be disclosed to avoid compromising the rescue effort.
Follow-up to Tuesday’s attack
The latest development follows Tuesday’s attack on the school, during which gunmen abducted the principal, an NECO official and students while the examination was in progress.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the Kogi State Police Command confirmed the incident, saying one of the abducted students had been rescued while police and other security agencies launched a joint search-and-rescue operation.
Police spokesperson Salisu Oyiza said the Commissioner of Police, Naziru Kankarofi, the Commander of the 12 Brigade of the Nigerian Army and the State Security Adviser visited the community for an on-the-spot assessment.
Growing security concerns
The abduction is the latest in a series of security incidents in Kogi State.
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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 transporting the remains of Deputy Corps Commander Augustine Ikwue to Benue State for burial. The kidnappers later abandoned the deceased officer’s corpse and reportedly demanded N450 million ransom for the victims.
Earlier, on 10 June, suspected terrorists attacked Government Secondary School, Iluke Bunu, in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area in what authorities described as an attempted mass abduction of students. Three people, including the school’s vice principal and a six-year-old child, were killed.
The Kogi government later announced that security forces had killed the alleged mastermind of the attack, Kachalla Ibrahim Batijo, and intensified military operations across parts of the state. Authorities also imposed restrictions on motorcycle operations in parts of Kabba/Bunu, banned night travel on some state roads and increased intelligence-led operations aimed at curbing kidnappings and banditry.
Despite those measures, attacks on schools, highways and rural communities have continued, raising fresh concerns about security in parts of the state. Security agencies say efforts are ongoing to rescue the remaining victims of Tuesday’s abduction.
