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 Kingsley Fanwo said 15 children were rescued
due to the “prompt and coordinated response” of security agencies.
Sunday’s attack also saw the owner of the facility taken, he added.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but security sources say the
state has a functional Boko Haram cell, adding that there have been several violent
attacks in the area.
Nigeria is also grappling with a kidnap crisis in many parts of the country, with
criminal gangs abducting people for ransoms. The government has made paying
ransoms illegal but this has not prevented the kidnappings.
“The government remains fully committed to ensuring the rescue of all the
victims,” Fanwo said.
His statement on Monday 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 always
engage appropriately with the appropriate 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 currently plagued by insecurity. This is the first
time an orphanage has been targeted.
According to a BBC report, In November 2025, more than 300 students and their
teachers were abducted from one 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 after.
The government denied reports that any ransom had been paid, or that two Boko
Haram commanders had been freed as part of the deal.
