Armed men have seized an orphanage in Lokoja, Kogi State, capturing 23 children in what authorities have called yet another distressing incidence of mass kidnapping in Nigeria.
The assault took place late on Sunday at the Dahallukitab Group of Schools, an unlicensed orphanage in a secluded and isolated portion of the state capital.
Commissioner for Information, Kogi State, Kingsley Fanwo, said on Monday that security services acted swiftly on the situation and rescued 15 of the stolen children.
Eight children, however, are still being held captive and the wife of the orphanage owner is also said to have been seized by the attackers.
Fanwo said security officers were intensifying efforts to secure safe return of the remaining victims and bringing the perpetrators to book.
He said the orphanage was functioning unlawfully without registration and was housed in a place unknown to the relevant authorities and security agencies.
The remote position of the plant may have made it vulnerable to the attack, he said.
The officials did not say how old the children who were stolen were but called them “pupils” which would suggest they were probably of kindergarten or primary school age.
No one has claimed responsibility for the abduction.
The practice of kidnapping for ransom has become popular in Nigeria, especially in the rural areas where security is weak and official monitoring is minimal.
In recent months, the spike in violent attacks in the North Central encompassing Kogi State has often targeted schools and vulnerable institutions.
The tragedy compounds mounting concerns over insecurity across the country, where threats range from armed banditry and insurgency to farmer-herder confrontations and separatist violence.
In November, hundreds of kids were abducted from a school in adjacent Niger State in an attack security sources said was related to Boko Haram.
Security authorities said activities were ongoing to rescue the remaining victims and prevent additional attacks in the area.
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