KEY POINTS
- Gunmen abducted a Kogi school principal, NECO official and students during an examination.
- Security agencies have launched a joint operation, with police saying one victim has been rescued.
- NAPTAN and NUT renewed calls for full implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative nationwide.
Gunmen have attacked Government Secondary School, Olowa, in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, abducting the school principal, a National Examinations Council, NECO, official and several examination candidates.
The incident occurred at about 5:25pm on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, while candidates were sitting for their ongoing NECO examinations.
Residents said the attackers, who were heavily armed, invaded the community and opened fire to frighten residents before entering the school premises.
A community leader, Sunday Alkali, said residents were outside when the gunmen first appeared. According to him, the attackers appeared surprised by the number of people in the area and initially withdrew before returning and shooting indiscriminately.
The gunfire sent residents fleeing for safety. It was only after the shooting stopped that community members discovered that the school had been attacked.
Principal, NECO official among victims
The victims were identified as the school principal, Nyada Daniel; NECO examination supervisor, Solomon Audu; and four students.
Residents said the number of students abducted could have been significantly higher if the examination had involved a subject attracting more candidates.
Only a limited number of candidates were reportedly writing Literature in English at the time of the attack, unlike examinations such as English Language and Mathematics, which usually draw larger numbers of students.
The abductors were also said to have contacted some relatives of the victims and demanded ransom for their release.
According to Alkali, at least four families received calls from the kidnappers demanding large sums of money.
Following the attack, soldiers, police officers, vigilantes and local hunters were mobilised to search surrounding forests and track the abductors.
The Kogi State Police Command confirmed the attack and said it had deployed tactical and operational teams to rescue the victims.
The command said Commissioner of Police, Naziru Kankarofi, visited the scene alongside the Commander of the 12 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Lokoja, Brigadier-General Kasim Sidi, and the State Security Adviser, Commander Jerry Omodara (retd.), to coordinate the response.
Police said preliminary investigations showed that the school had previously been closed by the Kogi State Government because of its remote location and security concerns.
The authorities alleged that the abandoned premises had nevertheless been used as a special examination centre for the NECO examinations.
Investigators are also examining claims that individuals facilitated the use of the closed school and that the examination venue had become associated with alleged examination malpractice.
The police warned that anyone found to have participated in the unauthorised use of the facility or examination malpractice would face prosecution.
The Kogi State Government also confirmed the incident, saying Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo had ordered an extensive security operation to rescue the abducted victims.
The operation is being coordinated by the State Security Adviser and involves the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Kogi State Vigilante Service, local hunters and other security agencies.
The government said five people were initially abducted and that one victim had subsequently been rescued, leaving four others in captivity.
Authorities said advanced technology was also being deployed to support the search and rescue operation.
The government further disclosed that preliminary findings suggested the remote examination centre was allegedly being operated as a “miracle centre” for external candidates.
It said two female candidates involved in the examination were not regular students of Government Secondary School, Olowa, while the examination arrangements allegedly failed to comply with the security framework established for NECO examinations in the state.
Despite the irregularities surrounding the centre, the government said it remained committed to protecting everyone within the state and would continue efforts to rescue the remaining victims.
Residents of Olowa and neighbouring communities were urged to provide credible information that could assist security agencies.
The latest attack has renewed calls for the full implementation of Nigeria’s Safe Schools Initiative, particularly in communities considered vulnerable to kidnapping and terrorism.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Deolu Ogunbanjo, said schools must be properly secured rather than relying on conventional gatekeepers.
He called for schools to be fenced and protected by armed security personnel, while urging the police and Civil Defence Corps to increase their presence around educational institutions.
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) also called for urgent nationwide implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative.
NUT President Titus Amba said vulnerable schools require adequate security personnel, modern surveillance systems, improved intelligence gathering and rapid emergency response mechanisms.
He also called for community-based security measures and psychosocial support for teachers and students who experience trauma from attacks and abductions.
The Safe Schools Initiative was introduced following the 2014 abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State. It was designed to improve the security of schools through measures including perimeter fencing, early-warning systems and emergency response mechanisms.
Despite subsequent government funding and interventions, attacks on schools have continued in different parts of Nigeria.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also condemned the abduction, describing schools and examination centres as places that should provide hope and opportunity rather than become targets for criminal groups.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that the incident reflected the wider security challenges facing the country.
He said the abduction of students, a school principal and a NECO official demonstrated the extent to which criminals could operate around educational institutions.
Atiku called for the immediate rescue of all the victims and demanded a comprehensive review of security arrangements around schools and examination centres nationwide.
He also criticised the government over what he described as inadequate attention to education and school security, arguing that insecurity could further undermine children’s access to education.
In a separate development contained in the report, three newly graduated soldiers were reportedly abducted by terrorists while travelling through the Anka axis of Zamfara State.
The soldiers were said to have recently graduated from the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna and were travelling from Zaria towards their destination when their vehicle was reportedly ambushed.
Other passengers and the driver were also said to have been taken by the attackers.
The incident reportedly occurred on July 2, shortly after the soldiers completed their passing-out exercise.
According to the report, the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million but later reduced the ransom to N5 million for each captive.
Families of the soldiers reportedly informed military authorities about the incident but said they had not received information about a rescue operation more than 13 days later.
However, both the Nigerian Defence Academy and Defence Headquarters reportedly said they were unaware of the alleged abduction.
The reported incidents in Kogi and Zamfara have once again raised concerns over the ability of security agencies to protect schools, examination centres, communities and personnel travelling through high-risk areas.