Gunmen have seized 23 children from an orphanage in central Nigeria, as confirmed by authorities. The incident occurred at Dahallukitab Group of Schools, an orphanage facility located in a remote area of Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State. State commissioner Kingsley Femi Fanwo provided details of the attack.
Following the abduction, 15 children have been rescued, while eight are still held captive. The gunmen’s identities remain unknown, and no group has claimed responsibility for the act. Although the statement did not disclose the children’s ages, the term “pupil” in Nigeria typically refers to those in kindergarten or primary school, usually up to the age of 12.
Upon receiving the report, security agencies, led by the Nigeria Police Force in Kogi State, along with other security operatives, promptly mobilized to the scene, according to Mr. Fanwo. Their swift and coordinated efforts resulted in the successful rescue of 15 of the abducted pupils, with ongoing intensive operations to secure the release of the remaining eight victims and apprehend the culprits. It was noted that the facility was operating illegally.
Kogi State has experienced increased attacks by armed groups, mainly involved in kidnappings for ransom. Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is grappling with a complex security crisis, particularly in the northern region, where a decade-long insurgency persists.
Prominent militant groups such as Boko Haram, its breakaway faction ISWAP, and the IS-linked Lakurawa group operate in the north-west. Reports from Save the Children highlight that at least 10 school kidnappings have occurred across Nigeria in less than two years, affecting approximately 670 children. The charity reported an escalation in child kidnappings on the way to or within schools in Nigeria since January 2024.
In a separate incident last year, armed attackers raided a secondary school in north-west Nigeria, abducting 25 schoolgirls and injuring a staff member. The school principal confirmed one girl’s escape on the same day, with the remaining 24 rescued a week later, according to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.
The 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State drew global attention, leading to the “#BringBackOurGirls” campaign. Nearly 100 girls remained missing in 2024. Other instances of mass abductions in Nigerian schools have occurred, such as the kidnapping of over 100 students and staff from a government college in Kebbi State in June 2021, and the abduction of 140 boarding school pupils at Bethel Baptist School in Kaduna State a month later.
Save the Children reports that more than 1,680 pupils were kidnapped from Nigerian schools between early 2014 and the end of 2022.
