Gunmen have abducted 23 children after storming an orphanage in central Nigeria, authorities said. The attack occurred at the Dahallukitab Group of School, located in an isolated area of Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State, according to a statement by state commissioner Kingsley Femi Fanwo.
Rescue Efforts Underway
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. An urgent manhunt has been launched to locate the remaining victims and apprehend the perpetrators.
History of School Abductions in Nigeria
Nigeria has been plagued by armed violence since the emergence of the Boko Haram group in the northeast in 2009, and hostage-taking has remained a persistent problem in northern schools. The kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno state in 2014 sparked global outrage and gave rise to the #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign. Nearly 100 of the girls were still missing last year.
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 a report published last year by the charity Save the Children.
This is a breaking news story. Authorities continue to investigate and urge anyone with information to come forward.
