Gunmen have abducted a school principal, a National Examinations Council (NECO) official and four students after attacking Government Secondary School, Olowa, in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The incident occurred at about 5:25 p.m. on Tuesday while candidates were writing the ongoing NECO examination. Residents said the armed men stormed the community, firing sporadically before invading the school premises.
Examination papers were reportedly found scattered across classrooms after the attackers left.
The abducted victims were identified as the school principal, Mr. Nyada Daniel, the NECO supervisor, Mr. Solomon Audu, and four students.
Community members said the number of victims could have been higher, but only a few candidates were sitting for the Literature in English examination at the time of the attack.
The Kogi State Police Command confirmed the incident, stating that one of the victims had been rescued while efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the remaining abductees.
Police spokesperson, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, said tactical teams had been deployed to the area, with the Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Kankarofi, visiting the scene alongside military and security officials to coordinate rescue efforts.
Police also disclosed that the school had previously been shut down by the state government due to security concerns and its remote location, but was allegedly being used as a special examination centre for the ongoing NECO examinations.
Authorities said investigations were underway into the circumstances surrounding the operation of the centre.
The Kogi State Government also confirmed the abduction, saying Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo had directed security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the victims.
According to the government, personnel of the Nigerian Army, Police, Department of State Services (DSS), vigilantes and local hunters have been mobilised, with advanced technology also being deployed to support the operation.
Meanwhile, three newly graduated soldiers were reportedly abducted by terrorists in Zamfara State while travelling from Zaria.
The kidnappers are said to have initially demanded a N50 million ransom before reducing it to N5 million per captive. However, both the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) and the Defence Headquarters said they were unaware of the incident.
