The Kogi State Government says it has mobilised a massive security operation to secure the release of a school principal, a NECO official and students abducted while taking the ongoing National Examinations Council (NECO) examination at Government Secondary School (GSS), Olowa, in the Dekina Local Government Area of the state.

A statement on Wednesday by the state’s Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, stated that the operation was ordered by Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.

Mr Fanwo identified the victims as Daniel Iyanaa, the school principal; Solomon Audu, a NECO official; Miss Dorcas Sunday, a NECO candidate; and another female candidate identified simply as Miss Dorcas, whose surname had yet to be verified.

“Five persons were initially abducted by the criminals. One victim has since been rescued, while efforts have been intensified to ensure the safe return of the remaining four,” he said.

He added that operative of the 12 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Lokoja; the 21 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Anyigba; the Nigeria Police Force; the State Security Service (SSS); the Kogi State Vigilante Service; hunters; and other security outfits had been deployed to the area.

The Peoples Gazetted earlier reported that four students, NECO officials and the principal of the school were abducted by the gunmen on Tuesday during the examination.

According to Mr Fanwo, advanced technology is also being deployed to support the rescue operation, with encouraging progress already being recorded.

He said preliminary findings indicated that the examination centre, located in a remote and vulnerable area, was allegedly being used as a “miracle centre” for external candidates.

“The two female candidates involved were not regular students of Government Secondary School, Olowa, and the examination arrangements did not align with the security framework put in place by the Kogi State Government to protect candidates taking the ongoing NECO examinations across the State,” he said.

He added that it was the government’s responsibility to protect every resident within its borders, noting that the victims were citizens of the state.