By joshua KOGI STATE POLICE COMMAND
PRESS RELEASE
POLICE INTENSIFY RESCUE OPERATION, COMMENCE INVESTIGATION INTO ABDUCTION AT PURPORTED EXAMINATION CENTRE IN DEKINA LGA
The Kogi State Police Command has intensified rescue operations following the abduction of four persons by suspected kidnappers who attacked a purported examination centre operating within an abandoned Government Secondary School in the remote area of Olowa, Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The examination centre was conducting the ongoing NECO examination for ten candidates at the time of the attack. During the incident, four persons were abducted, namely the school principal, Elder Daniel Iyanaa; a NECO official, Mr. Solomon Audu; and two female candidates, Dorcas Sunday and Dorcas.
Upon receipt of the distress report, the Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, psc, mni, immediately mobilized tactical and operational assets and proceeded to the scene alongside the Commander, 12 Brigade Nigerian Army, Lokoja, Brigadier General Kasim Sidi, and the State Security Adviser to the Kogi State Governor, Commander Jerry Omodara (Rtd), to conduct an on-the-spot assessment and personally coordinate the ongoing rescue operation.
Preliminary findings from the assessment revealed that the school had earlier been shut down by the Kogi State Government due to its isolated location and attendant security concerns. Information available at this stage, however, indicates that the abandoned premises may have been unlawfully used as a so-called “special examination centre” for the ten candidates.
The Command has also received allegations suggesting that certain individuals may have facilitated the use of the abandoned facility despite its closure. It has further been alleged that the particular classroom used for the examination had, over time, gained notoriety as a venue for examination malpractice. These allegations form part of the ongoing investigation, and anyone found culpable will face the full weight of the law.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police has ordered the immediate deployment of additional tactical and operational assets to the area. Combined security teams comprising the Police, the Nigerian Army, local vigilantes, hunters, and other security stakeholders are conducting intensive bush-combing and intelligence-led operations to ensure the safe rescue of the victims and the arrest of the perpetrators.
The Kogi State Police Command assures the public that every available operational resource is being deployed to secure the safe release of the victims. The Command remains equally committed to thoroughly investigating the circumstances surrounding the establishment and operation of the purported illegal examination centre.
The Command urges members of the public to remain calm, continue to support security agencies with credible and timely information, and refrain from spreading unverified reports capable of undermining the ongoing rescue operation.
Further updates will be communicated as the rescue operation and investigation progress.
ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat
Police Public Relations Officer
For: Commissioner of Police
Kogi State Command
Wednesday, 15th July, 2026