‘They Were Watching Us’: Inside Kogi School Abduction

Panic swept through Olowa in the Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State on Tuesday afternoon when gunfire shattered the calm in the community.

Moments earlier, students had been sitting the National Examinations Council (NECO) examination at the community’s Government Secondary School.

Then the gunmen arrived.

As they stormed the school, the examination was disrupted as students abandoned their papers and fled for safety while gunfire echoed across the community.

Residents traced the sound to the school, an isolated building deep in the bush. Among the first to respond was Olowa resident Danladi Isah.

By the time they arrived, the gunmen had disappeared into the surrounding forest, leaving frightened students, examination papers strewn across classrooms and another reminder that many Nigerian schools remain vulnerable to armed attacks.

Initial reports said the attackers abducted the school principal, a NECO ad hoc official and four students sitting the examination, although security officials later said the principal, an examination supervisor and two students remain captive.

Speaking to News Central, Isah recounted how villagers searched for the gunmen before discovering that four people had been taken from the examination centre.

“On the 14th day of July, 2026, between the hours of 2 and 3 p.m., we heard gunshots in the community. We rushed to the scene. Before we could get there, they had gone. We started tracing their footprints, but we could not find them again,” he recounted.

As residents combed the nearby bush, terrified students began emerging from the forest.

“Not quite long, we were still there. We now saw some students running out of the bush,” he recalled.

According to Isah, the students said armed men had entered the school while they were writing their examinations.

“Some men came to their school with guns and asked them not to move. But they did not listen to them. They ran from that place.”

The confusion drew local vigilantes to the area after news of the attack spread. It was only after they reached the school that the scale of the incident became clear.

Isah said the kidnappers later answered a call placed to a student’s mobile phone after the victim borrowed another phone on returning home.

“The student got home and used another person’s phone to call his own number. They picked up and said, ‘Yes, we are actually kidnappers. Four of your people are with us.'”

He said the abductors also claimed they were monitoring the rescue effort.

“They told us they were seeing us and that we had invited soldiers to trace them. They said, ‘Before you see monkey, monkey has already seen you.'”

Police later disclosed that the Kogi State Government had previously closed the school due to its remote location and security concerns.

Authorities, however, alleged that the premises were being used illegally as a “miracle centre” for the ongoing NECO examination.

“Investigators are also probing claims that the classroom where the examination was conducted had become notorious for examination malpractice,” the police said.

‘Locating The School Was Difficult’ – Army

Military officials said the school’s location complicated rescue efforts.

The Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Army’s 21 Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Godiya Solomon Monde, told News Central that troops received a distress call after the attack but first had to locate the isolated school before beginning rescue operations.

“The issue is that this school is definitely isolated, as you can see.

“It’s actually tagged as a miracle centre for the students.”

According to Monde, only 10 candidates had been brought to the centre to sit for their Literature-in-English examination when the gunmen struck.

“We have blocked all the suspected crossing points…”

Lt. Col Godiya Solomon Monde, Commanding Officer, 21 Battalion, Nigerian Army, says troops are working to rescue the four people abducted from a school in Kogi State during an examination. pic.twitter.com/dWgXjMK1BL

— News Central TV (@NewsCentralTV) July 16, 2026

He said the school’s remoteness delayed the military response.

“Even locating the school was not easy, but we finally got here with the aid of somebody from the community.”

When troops arrived, they found examination papers scattered across the classrooms.

“We saw some papers littered on the ground. That was when we confirmed that actually something of that nature must have taken place in these classes.”

Troops immediately launched a search across the surrounding forests.

“That was how we sprang into action, went into the bush searching, and we have presently blocked all the suspected crossing points where we expect them to move with those children.”

Despite the difficult terrain, Monde expressed confidence that the victims would be rescued.

“They’ve made some calls so far. We are tracking them to see where they are.

“I’m assuring you, we’re going to rescue those children.”

School Attacks Continue

School abductions remain one of Nigeria’s most persistent security challenges. According to rights group Save the Children, the country recorded 70 attacks on schools, 1,683 learners abducted, 184 killed, and 25 school buildings destroyed between 2014 and 2022.

The Dekina abduction occurred barely a month after armed bandits attacked Iluke Community in Bunu District of Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area, killing three residents, including the Vice Principal of Government Secondary School, Iluke, Gani Anifowose, and disrupting an ongoing WAEC examination while attempting to abduct students.

There have been at least four major school abductions in Nigeria this year.

In May, suspected terrorists attacked schools in Mussa village, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, abducting 42 pupils from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School.

The attackers reportedly rode into the community on motorcycles during school hours, forcing dozens of children into the bush while others escaped. The attack displaced residents and renewed concerns about school kidnappings in the North-East.

That same month, gunmen abducted 39 pupils and seven teachers, including the school principal, from a school in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The victims spent almost two months in captivity before security forces rescued them.

On June 28, gunmen attacked Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State while students were sitting for their examinations.

Civil society organisations have warned that repeated attacks on schools could push even more children out of classrooms, worsening Nigeria’s education crisis.

Amnesty International warned that the growing threat of school kidnappings was forcing many families to withdraw their children from school.

“The possibility or fear of abduction is forcing thousands of children to abandon education, while underage girls are having their education terminated and forced into marriage as a means of avoiding abduction at school. This is a devastating blow to years of efforts to boost enrollment in schools in the educationally disadvantaged parts of northern Nigeria,” the organisation stated.