Abducted NECO candidates wrote exams at ‘miracle centre’ - Kogi

Kogi State authorities have confirmed that two of the National Examinations Council (NECO) candidates abducted during an attack on Government Secondary School, Olowa, are now writing their exams at a "miracle centre."

The state government announced that a large-scale, multi-agency security operation has been launched to rescue the four remaining victims still in captivity. The operation, ordered by Governor Usman Ododo, is being coordinated by the State Security Adviser and involves all security and intelligence agencies in the state.

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Preliminary findings indicate that the examination centre, located in a remote and vulnerable area, was being used as a ‘miracle’ centre for external candidates.

Those still held include the Principal of Government Secondary School, Olowa, Elder Daniel Iyanaa; a NECO official, Solomon Audu; and two NECO candidates, Dorcas Sunday and another identified only as Dorcas. Initially, five people were abducted, but one has been rescued.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the examination center where the abduction occurred was located in a remote and vulnerable area. The government stated it was allegedly used as a "miracle" center for external candidates, and the two female candidates involved were not regular students of the school. The examination arrangements reportedly did not comply with the state's security framework for safeguarding candidates.

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The two female candidates involved were not regular students of Government Secondary School, Olowa, and the examination arrangements did not align with the security framework put in place by the Kogi State Government to protect candidates writing the ongoing NECO examinations across the state.