Gunmen Invade Kogi School, Abduct Principal and Candidates
Armed men disrupted a National Examinations Council exam in Kogi State on Tuesday, abducting a school principal, an exam official, and several candidates. The assailants stormed the Government Secondary School in Olowa, Dekina Local Government Area, firing weapons to scatter terrified bystanders before entering the examination hall. Local security forces launched an immediate search-and-rescue operation following the late-afternoon raid. One of the abducted candidates has since regained freedom, but four other victims remain in captivity. The incident exposes the persistent threat facing rural academic institutions in the region.
The attackers struck at approximately 5:25 p.m. while candidates sat for their Literature in English paper. The victims still held captive include the school principal, Daniel Iyanaa, and the exam supervisor, Solomon Audu. Two female candidates, both identified as Dorcas, were also carried off into the surrounding forests. Local witnesses reported that the gunmen initially retreated when they spotted residents outdoors but returned shortly after to execute the assault. Bullet casings and abandoned exam sheets littered the empty classrooms when villagers finally emerged from hiding.
State authorities revealed that the targeted facility was supposed to be inactive. The Kogi State Government had previously ordered the closure of the school due to its highly vulnerable and remote location. However, investigators believe operators were using the abandoned premises illegally as a private miracle centre to host external candidates. The two abducted female candidates were reportedly not registered students of the institution. Government officials have promised to investigate the administrators who facilitated the illegal use of the high-risk venue.
A coalition of security forces has commenced a massive sweep of the area to locate the kidnappers’ hideout. Soldiers from the 12 Brigade in Lokoja and the 21 Battalion in Anyigba are coordinating with police detectives and local vigilantes. The state’s Commissioner of Police, Naziru Kankarofi, visited the community alongside top military commanders for an on-the-spot assessment of the security breach. Officials are employing surveillance technology to assist the ground forces combing the dense bushes along the border.
The raid occurred amid a worrying uptick in highway and school-targeted kidnappings across Kogi State. Just five weeks prior, gunmen attacked another school in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area during a regional exam, leaving three people dead. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar publicly criticised the federal administration’s handling of the security crisis following the latest incident. He argued that the government has failed to secure learning environments while leaving public schools exposed to opportunistic criminals. The families of the victims have reportedly received ransom demands from the abductors.