LOKOJA, KOGI STATE — By Prime Brief Media
Gunmen have abducted 23 pupils and the wife of a school proprietor during a late-night attack on an orphanage and educational facility in the Zariagi area of Lokoja, Kogi State, in a brazen assault that has raised urgent questions about the safety of children in unregistered care institutions across the state.
The incident, which occurred late Sunday, April 26, 2026, targeted a facility identified as Dahallukitab Group of Schools. According to PUNCH, the attackers stormed the premises and seized the children along with the proprietor's wife before fleeing into the surrounding bushland.
Confirming the development in a statement on Monday, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed that security operatives responded swiftly to distress calls, leading to the rescue of 15 of the abducted pupils. Efforts are ongoing to secure the release of the remaining eight victims and to apprehend those responsible for the attack.
"The Kogi State Government commends the gallantry, professionalism, and swift response of the Police and other security agencies for rising decisively to the occasion," Fanwo stated.
However, the commissioner revealed a troubling dimension to the incident. The facility, he disclosed, was operating entirely outside regulatory oversight in a remote and isolated location. "The facility was operating illegally in a remote, bushy environment without registration with the State Government and without the knowledge of relevant authorities and security agencies," Fanwo said.
The commissioner warned against the operation of schools and orphanages in isolated areas without proper authorisation, describing such practices as dangerous in the current security climate. "While the Government remains fully committed to ensuring the rescue of all victims, it is important to stress that the operation of orphanages, schools, and similar institutions in isolated and vulnerable locations, without proper registration and notification to relevant authorities, poses serious security risks, especially in the current security climate," he added.
Fanwo further urged operators of such facilities to comply with safety regulations. "The Government strongly discourages such practices and reiterates the need for strict compliance with regulatory and safety protocols. All operators of such facilities are advised to engage with appropriate government agencies to ensure proper oversight, security assessment, and protection."
The commissioner assured that security agencies are working to bring the situation under full control and that updates will be provided as operations continue.
The Zariagi area of Lokoja, located along the Lokoja-Abuja highway corridor, sits within a region that has experienced sporadic security incidents in recent times. The location of the school in a remote, bushy area without security presence likely rendered it vulnerable to the predations of criminal elements.
This incident echoes the growing pattern of attacks on educational institutions across parts of northern and central Nigeria, where schools—particularly those in rural or isolated settings—have become soft targets for kidnap-for-ransom syndicates. The fact that this facility also functioned as an orphanage, housing vulnerable children, compounds the gravity of the security and regulatory failure.
Prime Brief Media continues to monitor the situation in Kogi State and will provide updates as more information becomes available regarding the condition of the remaining hostages and the progress of ongoing rescue operations. We urge members of the public with any information that could assist security agencies to report through official channels.
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Security & Crime