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23 children abducted by gunmen in central Nigeria in orphanage raid
A Nigerian soldier from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) loads his machine gun during training in Monguno, Borno state, Nigeria, July 5, 2025. (AFP Photo) Gunmen raided an unregistered orphanage in central Nigeria's Kogi state and kidnapped at least 23 children, authorities said on Monday, with eight still missing after a partial rescue operation.Mass kidnappings have become a common way for gangs and armed groups to make quick money in Africa's most populous country, especially in rural areas with little government presence.The children were taken from a facility called the Dahallukitab Group of Schools, located in an "isolated area" of the state capital Lokoja late Sunday, Kogi's information commissioner, Kingsley Fanwo, said in a statement.He said the "prompt and coordinated response" of security agencies led to the rescue of 15 children.The wife of the proprietor of the orphanage was also abducted, according to the statement."Intensive operations are ongoing to secure the safe return of the remaining 8 victims and apprehend the perpetrators," he said.Fanwo did not immediately respond to questions about the ages of the children. More to Read The orphanage "was operating illegally in a remote, bushy environment without registration with the State Government and without the knowledge of relevant authorities and security agencies," Fanwo said.Nigeria faces multiple conflicts, from a long-running jihadist insurgency to "bandit" gangs, farmer-herder violence and southeastern separatists.North-central Nigeria, where Kogi is located, has seen violent attacks, including raids on schools in recent months, with some blamed on jihadist groups.Hundreds of schoolchildren were taken by gunmen from their school in neighbouring Niger state in November, in an attack security sources blamed on Boko Haram jihadists.
Gunmen kidnap 23 children from Nigerian orphanage - Al Jazeera
Mass kidnappings are a common way for gangs and armed groups to make quick money in Nigeria.Gunmen have raided an orphanage and kidnapped at least 23 children, authorities in Nigeria report.The gang took the children late on Sunday from an unregistered facility called the Dahallukitab Group of Schools, located in an “isolated area” in Kogi State’s capital, Lokoja, Kogi Information Commissioner Kingsley Fanwo said in a statement on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Iran, Nigeria, and Africa’s oil dependencylist 2 of 4Nigerian artisans preserve handwoven fabric amid rising global demandlist 3 of 4What is really happening in northern Nigerialist 4 of 4Nigeria charges six people with ‘terrorism’, treason over 2025 coup plotend of listMass kidnappings have become a common way for gangs and armed groups to make quick money in Africa’s most populous country, especially in rural areas with little government presence.Fanwo said the “prompt and coordinated response” of security agencies led to the rescue of 15 children but eight are still missing.The wife of the proprietor of the orphanage was also abducted, according to the statement.“Intensive operations are ongoing to secure the safe return of the remaining eight victims and apprehend the perpetrators,” the official said.The orphanage was operating “illegally” in a remote location without the knowledge of relevant authorities and security agencies, Fanwo added.The statement did not disclose the ages of the abducted children, but it referred to them as “pupils”, which in Nigeria usually refers to someone in kindergarten or primary school, covering ages up to 12.No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.Nigeria faces multiple conflicts from long-running violence by the Boko Haram armed group to “bandit” gangs, farmer-herder violence and southeastern separatists.The ISIL (ISIS)-linked Lakurawa group also operates in communities in the northwestern part of the country bordering Niger.The North Central Zone of Nigeria, where Kogi is located, has seen violent attacks, including raids on schools, in recent months with some of the attacks blamed on armed groups.Hundreds of students were taken by gunmen from their school in neighbouring Niger State in November in an attack security sources blamed on Boko Haram.
Nigeria: Gunmen raid Lokoja orphanage, abduct 23 children as rescue ...
Armed attackers stormed an orphanage on the outskirts of Lokoja in north-central Nigeria, taking away 23 pupils in a brazen raid that has rattled authorities. Officials say 15 of the children have ...
Gunmen raid Nigerian orphanage and kidnap children - BBC
Eight children are still missing after gunmen raided an unregistered orphanage in Nigeria's north-central Kogi State and kidnapped 23, authorities have said. Kogi's information commissioner ...
