Nigerian troops have rescued the remaining children and adults abducted from an unregistered orphanage in Kogi State, ending a days-long search that again exposed the country’s deepening kidnapping crisis. The victims were taken on April 26 when gunmen stormed the Daarul-Kitab Islamic Orphanage in an isolated area of Lokoja, the Kogi State capital. Authorities said 23 pupils were abducted in the attack, with 15 rescued shortly afterward as security forces began search operations.
The Nigerian Army said troops recovered nine victims during a sustained operation in the Agbaja Forest area of Lokoja Local Government Area. Army spokesman Hassan Abdullahi said those rescued included five boys, two girls and two adult women believed to be wives of the orphanage proprietor. Kogi State officials said the operation was carried out by troops of the Nigerian Army’s 12 Brigade in collaboration with other security agencies. The state government described the rescue as a successful conclusion to a “distressing incident” and said all abducted victims had been freed.
Before the rescue, Kogi’s Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, said the facility had been operating illegally in a remote and vulnerable location, without registration or the knowledge of relevant government and security agencies. He warned that unregistered schools, orphanages, and similar institutions in isolated areas face heightened risks in the current security climate. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, mass abductions have become a recurring security threat in Nigeria, where armed gangs and extremist groups often target schools, rural communities, and poorly protected institutions for ransom or leverage. Analysts say children and students are frequently targeted because such attacks generate national attention and pressure authorities to negotiate.
Nigeria is battling overlapping security crises, including jihadist violence in the northeast, armed “bandit” gangs in the northwest and north-central regions, farmer-herder clashes, and separatist tensions in the southeast. Kogi and neighboring states have experienced repeated attacks in recent years, including abductions of students and raids on vulnerable communities.
The latest rescue brings relief to families, but it also raises fresh questions about child protection, school registration, rural security, and the government’s ability to prevent kidnappings before they occur.
