LOKOJA, Nigeria — Armed attackers abducted one school principal, one examination official, and four students during an ongoing national examination at a secondary school in Kogi State on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at approximately 5:25 p.m. WAT.
Golden Info reports that the Kogi State Police Command confirmed the abduction at Government Secondary School, located in Odo-Ekina within the Dekina Local Government Area.
The command’s spokesperson, ASP Salisu Oyiza, issued a statement on Wednesday detailing the incident. “During the incident, four students, the school principal and one NECO ad hoc staff member were abducted by the attackers,” Oyiza said.
Security operatives have initiated a joint search operation to locate the victims. “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. So far, one of the abducted students has been rescued, while efforts are ongoing to secure the safe rescue of the remaining victims and apprehend the perpetrators,” Oyiza said.
The Commissioner of Police for the Kogi State Command, Naziru Kankarofi, alongside the Brigade Commander and the State Security Adviser to the Governor of Kogi State, travelled to the school for an on-the-spot assessment of the scene. “A more detailed press release will be issued as soon as additional verified information becomes available,” Oyiza added.
In a separate incident confirmed by the command, armed individuals intercepted a funeral convoy on the Ochadamu-Ejule Expressway on July 9, 2026. The attackers stopped a vehicle transporting the remains of a Federal Road Safety Corps official, Augustine Ikwue, to Otukpo, Benue State, and forced the occupants into the surrounding forest.
Police and military personnel, working alongside the Vigilante Group of Nigeria and community policing members, recovered the abandoned vehicle and the casket. The remains were subsequently transported to the Elemona Mortuary in Ejule.
“Efforts are ongoing to rescue the victims and apprehend the perpetrators. We will provide further updates as more information becomes available,” Oyiza said.