Governor Ahmed Ododo has ordered a multi agency security operation involving the military, police, DSS, and local security outfits to rescue four people abducted from Government Secondary School, Olowa, in Dekina Local Government Area during the ongoing National Examinations Council examination.

The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, revealing that the operation is being coordinated by the State Security Adviser, Jerry Omodara, with support from the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the Kogi State Vigilante Service, local hunters, and other security outfits.

"The Kogi State Government has mobilised a massive multi agency security operation to secure the safe rescue of four persons abducted from Government Secondary School (GSS), Olowa in Dekina Local Government Area during the ongoing National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations," Fanwo said.

He noted that advanced technology had also been deployed to support the operation, adding that encouraging progress was being recorded. The victims were identified as the school's principal, Daniel Iyanaa, a NECO official, Solomon Audu, and two female candidates, Miss Dorcas Sunday and Miss Dorcas. Fanwo explained that five people were initially seized during the attack, but one victim had since been rescued.

"The victims are our people, and the Government will spare no effort in ensuring their safe rescue and the arrest of those responsible for the crime," he stated.

Preliminary findings, according to the commissioner, indicated that the examination centre, located in a remote area, was being used as a miracle centre for external candidates, with arrangements that did not conform to the state's security framework for the ongoing NECO examinations. He added that operational details would remain undisclosed to avoid compromising the rescue effort.

The development follows an attack on the school a day earlier, during which gunmen seized the principal, an NECO official, and students while the examination was in progress. Police spokesperson Salisu Oyiza disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Naziru Kankarofi, alongside the Commander of the 12 Brigade of the Nigerian Army and the State Security Adviser, visited the community for an on the spot assessment.

The abduction adds to a string of security incidents in the state, including a 9 July attack on a funeral convoy in Ofu Local Government Area and a 10 June assault on a school in Kabba/Bunu that left three people dead. Authorities have since imposed restrictions on motorcycle use and night travel in parts of the state as security agencies continue efforts to recover the remaining victims.