A sharp administrative disagreement has emerged between federal examination authorities and regional state officials regarding the operational status of a public school recently targeted by gunmen. The National Examinations Council has strongly rebuked claims made by the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, who publicly characterized Government Secondary School, Olowa, as an illegal "miracle centre." The federal body countered this narrative by opening its database to show that the Dekina Local Government Area facility has run legitimate, state-supported academic sessions for over forty years.

The dispute intensified following an armed raid on the school premises during the ongoing 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination, which resulted in the abduction of five individuals. In an official dispatch signed by Acting Director of Information and Public Relations Azeez Sani, the Council clarified that the school is a bona fide public Institution owned by the Kogi State Government. Records indicate the school has legally presented internal candidates for national assessments for 26 consecutive years, directly contradicting the state's negative characterization of the examination center.

To systematically dismantle the allegations, the regulatory board published a detailed historical breakdown of candidate registrations from the facility. The certified figures show that the school registered 21 candidates in 2021, 20 candidates in 2022, 28 candidates in 2023, 40 candidates in 2024, and 20 candidates in 2025. Furthermore, during the 2026 academic calendar, the Kogi State Government itself paid the West African Senior School Certificate Examination fees for 51 students at the location, validating its standing as an active public center.

The security situation at the facility has drawn intense scrutiny from both federal planners and local security agencies. While expressing deep empathy over the incident, the Council confirmed that joint security interventions successfully rescued four of the captured individuals. The targeted personnel were revealed to be career civil servants rather than external actors; the school principal, Elder Daniel Iyamaa, holds a high-ranking Grade Level 17 position in the state civil service, while the external supervisor, Solomon Audu, is a Grade Level 12 officer deployed from Community Secondary School, Effin.

This administrative clash highlights growing anxieties over student safety as schools face rising security threats in the region. Prior to the commencement of the 2026 testing cycle, the regional coordinator had formally requested armed protection from law enforcement commands following an earlier attack at Government Secondary School, Iluke. Driven by the policy directives of the Registrar and Chief Executive, Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, the University assessment partner reaffirmed its zero-tolerance stance on academic fraud, while warning public figures that unverified statements threaten to damage public confidence in regional learning environments.