Bandits on Tuesday attacked Government Secondary School, Opada-Olowa in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, abducting the principal, a National Examinations Council (NECO) supervisor and four students during an examination.
The principal was identified as Mr Nyada Daniel, while the NECO official is Mr Solomon Audu.
Residents said the attackers invaded the community at about 2:00 p.m., shooting sporadically before storming the school. They added that several candidates escaped, while the kidnappers later contacted some families to demand ransom.
The Kogi State Police Command confirmed the abduction, saying one of the students had been rescued, while efforts were ongoing to free the remaining victims.
Police spokesperson, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, said preliminary findings indicated that the school had earlier been closed by the state government over security concerns but was allegedly being used as an illegal “special examination centre”.
She added that a joint team of security operatives had launched a search-and-rescue operation and was investigating allegations that the facility had been used for examination malpractice.
The state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, also described the facility as a “miracle” examination centre for external candidates but assured that the government would ensure the safe rescue of the victims and arrest of the perpetrators.
Reacting to the incident, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar condemned the abduction, saying it showed that criminals now see schools as “abandoned territories” because the government had failed to guarantee the safety of students and learning institutions.
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