Gunmen stormed an orphanage, identified as Dahallukitab Group of School, in central Nigeria and abducted 23 children on Monday, authorities said
Gunmen have abducted 23 children after storming an orphanage in central Nigeria, authorities said.
The attack took place at the Dahallukitab Group of School, located in an “isolated area” of Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State, on Monday, according to a statement by state commissioner Kingsley Femi Fanwo.
Fifteen of the children have since been rescued but eight remain captive. The identities of the gunmen are unknown, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
The statement did not indicate how old the abducted schoolchildren are but the term “pupil” in Nigeria typically refers to someone in kindergarten or primary school, aged up to 12.
“Upon receiving the report, security agencies, led by the Nigeria Police Force in Kogi State, in collaboration with other security operatives, swiftly mobilized to the scene,” Fanow said.
“Their prompt and coordinated response led to the successful rescue of 15 of the abducted pupils, while intensive operations are ongoing to secure the safe return of the remaining eight victims and apprehend the perpetrators.”
Kogi has seen an increase in the activities of gunmen who primarily kidnap people for ransom.
It comes as Nigeria, which is Africa’s most populous country, is battling a complex security crisis, especially in the north, where there is a decade-long insurgency.
Among the most prominent Islamic militant groups are Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, known as ISWAP, along with the IS-linked Lakurawa group operating in the northwestern part of the country.
At least 10 school kidnappings have taken place across Nigeria in less than two years, affecting about 670 children, charity Save the Children said in a report published in November 2025.
The charity said news reports and ACLED data showed an “uptick in kidnappings of children in or on their way to school in Nigeria since January 2024”.
In November last year, armed attackers stormed a secondary school in northwestern Nigeria, kidnapping 25 schoolgirls and shooting one staff member. The kidnapping took place at the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi state.
One of the schoolgirls was able to escape the same day, the school’s principal said. The remaining 24 were all rescued a week later, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed at the time. No details were released about the rescue.
The kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno state made headlines in 2014, sparking global outrage and giving rise to the “#BringBackOurGirls” social media campaign. Nearly 100 of the girls were still missing in 2024.
Armed attackers also abducted more than 100 students and staff members from a government college in Kebbi state in June 2021. The students were released over a two-year period after parents raised ransom. Some were forcibly married off, while others returned with babies.
Just one month later, 140 pupils boarding at Bethel Baptist School were kidnapped by gunmen in Kaduna state in northwestern Nigeria. The pupils were released in groups as ransom demands were met in the months that followed.
More than 1,680 pupils were kidnapped from Nigerian schools between early 2014 and the end of 2022, according to Save the Children.
