Nigerian troops have rescued seven children and two women more than a week after gunmen kidnapped them from an orphanage in the capital of Kogi State, the West African nation’s army said on Thursday.
Gunmen attacked the unregistered Daarul-Kitab Islamic Orphanage in a remote area of Lokoja on April 26, abducting 23 children and several adults. According to security officials, 15 of the children were freed shortly after the raid.
On Wednesday, troops under Operation Tiger Paw II intercepted and rescued the remaining group during a search in the Agbaja forest in Lokoja Local Government Area, Nigerian Army spokesman Hassan Abdullahi said in a statement.
“The rescued victims comprised five boys, two girls, and two adult females, believed to be the wives of the proprietor of the orphanage,” Abdullahi stated. They were evacuated to a military medical facility for immediate treatment and first aid, he added, noting that “all victims are reported to be in stable condition.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the Lokoja raid.
Nigeria’s northern and Middle Belt regions have long been plagued by kidnappings, banditry, and communal violence, with armed gangs frequently targeting travelers, villages, and schools. Abduction incidents drew global attention in 2014 when Boko Haram militants kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State.
More than a dozen worshippers were kidnapped in an attack on a church in Kogi State in December. In early January, armed groups raided Kasuwan-Daji village in Niger State, reportedly killing at least 30 people and abducting an unspecified number. In November, gunmen abducted more than 300 students and staff from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State. Fifty of the St. Mary’s students escaped shortly after the assault, and authorities announced the release of the remaining hostages weeks later.
The surge in violence in Africa’s most populous country comes despite security measures that Abuja has implemented, including the deployment of thousands of military and police personnel and intensified operations targeting organized criminal and militant groups. On Thursday, the army announced “coordinated successes” in its campaigns and pledged to continue “aggressive operations against terrorists and their collaborators.”