The National Examinations Council (NECO) has dismissed allegations that Government Secondary School, Olowa, in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, where five persons were recently abducted during the ongoing Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), is a “miracle examination centre.”

The Council described the claim as false and misleading, insisting that the school is a long-established public institution that has consistently presented genuine candidates for NECO examinations for over two decades.

In a statement issued on Friday by the Acting Director of Information and Public Relations, Azeez Sani, NECO expressed sympathy to the victims of the abduction and commended the Kogi State Government and security agencies for securing the release of the remaining four victims.

However, the Council disagreed with comments attributed to the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Hon. Kingsley Fanwo, who reportedly described the school as a “miracle centre.”

According to NECO, Government Secondary School, Olowa, is owned by the Kogi State Government, has existed for more than 40 years, and has participated in the NECO Senior School Certificate Examination since 2000.

The Council noted that the school’s Principal, Elder Daniel Iyamaa, who was among those abducted, is a Grade Level 17 officer in the Kogi State Civil Service, while the kidnapped examination supervisor, Mr. Solomon Audu, is a Grade Level 12 officer employed by the state government and posted to Community Secondary School, Effin.

NECO further clarified that all the abducted students are duly registered students of Government Secondary School, Olowa, and were presented for the 2026 SSCE by the school in collaboration with the Kogi State Government.

It added that the 28 candidates registered by the school for the 2026 examination are bona fide students and not external candidates, contrary to the impression created by the commissioner’s remarks.

To support its position, the Council released the school’s SSCE enrolment figures over the past five years: 21 candidates in 2021, 20 in 2022, 28 in 2023, 40 in 2024, 20 in 2025, and 28 candidates in the ongoing 2026 examination.

NECO also disclosed that the Kogi State Government paid the examination fees of 51 candidates from the same school for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The Council explained that before the commencement of the 2026 SSCE, its Kogi State Coordinator had written to security agencies requesting enhanced protection for examination centres across the state. The move, it said, was prompted by the terrorist attack on Government Secondary School, Iluke, in Ijumu Local Government Area during the 2026 WAEC examination.

Reaffirming its commitment to credible examinations, NECO stated that under the leadership of its Registrar and Chief Executive, Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, it has maintained a zero-tolerance policy on examination malpractice through several reforms that have significantly reduced malpractice cases in recent years.

The Council urged public officials and stakeholders to verify facts before making public statements capable of damaging the reputation of institutions or creating unnecessary public anxiety.