Gunmen have invaded Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, in the Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, abducting the school principal, four students writing their National Examinations Council (NECO) exams, and a NECO ad hoc staff member.
​The attack occurred at approximately 5:25 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, throwing the school community into a state of panic as candidates were in the middle of writing their examinations.
​The Kogi State Police Command confirmed the incident on Wednesday morning, July 15, 2026. According to the Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Salisu Oyiza, immediate security measures have been activated to track down the assailants and secure the hostages.
​”During the incident, four students, the school principal, and one NECO ad hoc staff member were abducted by the attackers,” Oyiza stated. “A combined team of the police and other security agencies immediately launched a search-and-rescue operation and is currently on the trail of the assailants.”
​Security officials confirmed that one of the abducted students has already been successfully rescued by the joint security team. Massive search-and-rescue and bush-combing operations are ongoing in the surrounding forests to locate the remaining five victims.
​In response to the brazen daytime assault, a high-level security delegation has traveled to Dekina LGA for an on-the-spot assessment of the school.
The delegation included Naziru Kankarofi, Kogi State Commissioner of Police, The Brigade Commander of the 12 Brigade of the Nigerian Army and The State Security Adviser to the Kogi State Governor.
​This incident marks another troubling security challenge in the region, coming just days after gunmen intercepted a funeral convoy in neighboring Ofu Local Government Area on July 9, abducting several mourners.
​Local authorities have urged residents of the Odo-Ekina community and surrounding areas to remain calm and report any suspicious movements to security personnel as the joint military and police operation continues.
