Eight children are still missing after gunmen raided an unregistered orphanage in north-central Kogi State in Nigeria and kidnapped 23 children.
Kogi Information Commissioner, Kingsley Fanwo, says 15 children were rescued following the “prompt and coordinated response” of security agencies.
He adds that Sunday’s attack also saw the facility’s owner abducted.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but security sources say the state has a functional Boko Haram cell and that there have been several violent attacks in the area.
Nigeria is also grappling with a kidnapping crisis in many parts of the country, with criminal gangs abducting people for ransom.
The government has made paying ransoms illegal, but this has not prevented the kidnappings.
Fanwo says the government remains fully committed to ensuring the rescue of all the victims.
His statement yesterday also highlighted that the orphanage was “operating illegally” in a “bushy environment” without the knowledge of relevant authorities.
Fanwo urged operators of orphanages, schools, and similar institutions to engage with the relevant government agencies, especially in the current security climate.
Mass kidnappings in schools are not uncommon in Nigeria, especially in the country’s northern region, which is plagued by insecurity.
This is the first time an orphanage has been targeted.
In November 2025, more than 300 students and their teachers were abducted from a Catholic secondary school in Niger State, also in the north-central region of Nigeria.
They were released in two batches, with the last group regaining freedom more than one month later.
The government denied reports that any ransom had been paid or that two Boko Haram commanders had been freed as part of the deal.
Source: BBC
