The National Examinations Council (NECO) has denied allegations that Government Secondary School, Olowa, in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, operates as a “miracle examination centre” where examination malpractice is encouraged, describing the claim as false and misleading.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement issued by its Director of Information and Public Relations, Azeez Sani, the Council expressed sympathy for those affected by Tuesday’s abduction at the school and commended the Kogi State Government and security agencies for securing the release of the remaining four victims.
However, NECO faulted 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 to refer to examination centres where malpractice is allegedly facilitated.
The Council maintained that Government Secondary School, Olowa, is a long-established public secondary school owned by the Kogi State Government and has presented 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 examination body also stated that its records confirm the abducted candidates are duly registered students of Government Secondary School, Olowa, who were presented for the 2026 NECO SSCE by the school in collaboration with the Kogi State Government.
It further clarified that the 28 candidates registered by the school for the 2026 examination are bona fide students and not external candidates.
To support its position, NECO released the school’s SSCE enrolment figures for the past five years, showing that it presented 21 candidates in 2021, 20 in 2022, 28 in 2023, 40 in 2024, 20 in 2025, and 28 candidates for the 2026 examination.
The Council also alleged that the Kogi State Government paid examination fees for 51 candidates from the same school during the recently concluded 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
NECO disclosed that before the commencement of the 2026 SSCE, its Kogi State Coordinator had written to security agencies requesting adequate security to ensure the smooth conduct of the examination.
According to the Council, the request was prompted by the earlier terrorist attack on Government Secondary School, Iluke, in Ijumu Local Government Area during the 2026 WASSCE.
Reaffirming its commitment to protecting the integrity of its examinations, NECO said it operates a zero-tolerance policy on examination malpractice under the leadership of its Registrar and Chief Executive, Dantani Wushishi.
The Council added that reforms introduced over the past five years have significantly reduced incidents of examination malpractice and strengthened the credibility of its examinations across the country.
It urged public officials and other stakeholders to verify facts before making public statements that could damage the reputation of institutions or create unnecessary public anxiety.
