Four people abducted during Tuesday’s attack on a National Examinations Council (NECO) examination centre in Olowa, Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State have been rescued, the state government has said.
The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, said on Thursday that the victims regained their freedom following a coordinated rescue operation ordered by Governor Ahmed Ododo.
According to him, the operation, led by the State Security Adviser, Jerry Omodara (Rtd), involved the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force and local security operatives.
“The sustained pressure on the kidnappers and the saturation of the forest by heavily armed security personnel forced the criminals to abandon the victims and flee”, Fanwo said.
The rescued victims are the school principal, Daniel Iyanaa, a NECO official, Solomon Audu, and two female candidates. They are undergoing debriefing and medical checks, while security operatives continue to track the fleeing suspects.
Fanwo also commended the security agencies involved and thanked President Bola Tinubu for directing security chiefs to support the operation.
The victims were among five people abducted when gunmen attacked Government Secondary School, Olowa, as candidates sat the ongoing NECO examination. Police rescued one student shortly after the attack, leaving four others in captivity.
The state government subsequently launched a joint rescue operation involving the military, DSS, police, vigilantes and local hunters. It also disclosed that preliminary findings suggested the remote examination centre was allegedly operating as an unauthorised “miracle centre” for external candidates.
The attack is the latest in a series of kidnappings in Kogi State. On 9 July, gunmen abducted nine mourners, including two Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officials, during an attack on a funeral convoy in Ofu Local Government Area. Earlier, on 10 June, three people were killed during an attempted attack on Government Secondary School, Iluke Bunu, before security forces repelled the assailants.
