•Gunmen
Gunmen abducted dozens, including children, on Sunday from Tajudeen Islamic Foundation and children’s home in Zariagi, a settlement at Kabba Junction, Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State, and along Akwando Road in the Kafancha LGA of Kaduna State.
While pupils, the proprietor’s two wives and his two children were kidnapped from the Kogi orphanage, some students in a vehicle en route to Kachia to resume school were ambushed and whisked away, alongside the driver and two other passengers, reports Daily Trust.
The Kaduna victims are Augustina Muntari, a Senior Secondary 2 student at Government Secondary School, Gumel; Happy Muntari, a Junior Secondary School 2 student at the school; Favour Tanimu and Patience Joseph, both JSS2 students at GSS, Kachia; Peace Irimiya and Bishara Irimiya, both of St. John’s School, Kachia. Others are the driver, Irimiya Galadima, and two passengers, Fatu Danladi and Laraba Caleb.
Seventeen children from the Kogi orphanage and school and 15 Kaduna students, who narrowly escaped abduction and ran into the bush for safety, were said to have returned home.
The kidnappers have also reportedly demanded N150m ransom to release the remaining nine victims abducted in Kogi.
How kidnappers invaded orphanage – Survivors
The son of the proprietor of the orphanage home, Farouk Hassan, who narrowly escaped the abduction, told our correspondent that the attackers stormed the facility around 10.30pm on Sunday, and forcefully took away his mother, siblings and children of the orphanage home.
He explained that his mother and a few others were passing the time in front of the school when the kidnappers suddenly appeared and chased them into the premises.
“My mother sighted them first and started shouting, saying, ‘Who are those coming, wearing weird looks?’ She got up and started running away towards the compound. All of us followed up immediately, running towards different rooms in the compound,” Hassan said.
He further explained that his mother started crying for help after the attackers entered the room and went for his younger brother, adding that he managed to escape through the back door into the bush.
“I then called my father and informed him that we were under attack. The kidnappers were many; some carried guns, some cutlasses, while many wore face masks. I was scared of them because I didn’t know their plan. I don’t know where my mother, brother and sister are now. I don’t want anything to happen to them. I want them back home safely. The government should help us bring them back home safely; nothing should happen to them,” Hassan stated.
A teacher in the school, Hajarat Isah, said the gunmen invaded the premises, picked up students, the proprietor’s wives and children, as well as children in the orphanage and whisked them away.
“Nine of them are still in their custody. The kidnappers have called the proprietor and demanded the sum of N150 million for the abducted victims to regain their freedom,” she added.
Dr Tajudeen Mohammed Salihu, the proprietor of Daarul-Kitab Islamic Training Centre and Tajudeen Islamic Foundation and children’s home, said 17 children ran into the bush to hide and returned to the school safely.
He appealed to the Kogi State government to assist the school in rescuing the remaining nine victims who are still in captivity.
“The school is not meant for orphans, but children of the underprivileged people in society who cannot take care of their children. We take good care of them and give them free education to enable them to fit into society in the future. The little we get from spirited organisations and individuals, we utilize to take care of our students”, he said.
Police, govt react
The Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Naziru Kankarofi, said the command received a distress call that a school and orphanage home (Daarul-Kitab) was invaded by assailants on Sunday around 11:35pm.
“A joint team of hunters, vigilantes and the police went to track the kidnappers and in the process, 17 victims were rescued while nine people are still in the kidnappers’ custody.
The nine victims include two wives of the proprietor of the school and seven students,” he said.
The CP stated that a joint search team comprising the police, the military and other auxiliary security forces had been deployed in the bush to rescue the remaining nine victims.
“We need to exert a lot of pressure on the kidnappers, which assisted us in rescuing the first set of 17 victims,” he added.
The police commissioner said the school was not registered by the government, noting that the location is an isolated area, not ideal for habitation.
“The facility has no perimeter fencing, no access road, some of the classrooms are still under construction and the environment is not conducive to teaching and learning. Secondly, because of a lack of registration, we are unable to capture the school on our safe school programme for security agencies to be deployed there,” he said.
CP Kankarofi, however, assured the parents of the victims that the command would rescue the remaining nine victims.
“It is our responsibility to do that and we are determined and ever ready to make sure that we provide an enabling environment for teaching and learning. I am advising parents to always send their children to a school that is safe and secure because any responsible person will not take their child to facilities where there is no security of life and property,” he said.
Also, the Kogi State government condemned the attack on the orphanage and school facility, describing the incident as unfortunate and avoidable.
The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, in a statement on Monday, said efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the remaining victims. He commended the security agencies, noting that their swift and coordinated response significantly curtailed the impact of the attack.
However, the government raised concerns over the operation of unregistered institutions in isolated locations.
He warned that establishing orphanages, schools and similar facilities in vulnerable areas without proper registration and notification to authorities poses serious security risks, especially in the prevailing security environment.
But the proprietor denied running an unregistered school, adding that it was established in 2021 and registered by the Kogi State Ministry of Education.
6 students, 3 others kidnapped in Kaduna
In another attack, bandits ambushed a vehicle conveying schoolchildren from Akwando village in Kachia LGA and abducted nine people, including six students.
It was gathered that the victims were on their way to Kachia to resume school when the attackers waylaid the vehicle.
A resident, who spoke to our correspondent, said the driver attempted to escape but was overwhelmed by the assailants.
The source said a student, identified as Purity Babangida, hid under the vehicle during the attack but was fatally crushed when the driver tried to escape.
Amid the chaos, it was learnt that no fewer than 15 students jumped from the moving vehicle and trekked for hours through the bush to nearby communities, including Awon, where they were received.
“They have all arrived home safely today (Monday), courtesy of the security,” the source told our correspondent.
Meanwhile, families of those in captivity are in distress as they await information on their loved ones, while residents call on security agencies to intensify efforts to secure roads and protect lives.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Mansur Hassan, couldn’t be reached. Calls to his phone went unanswered and he had yet to reply to a text message sent to him at the time of filing this report.
A police source in the area, however, confirmed that the incident occurred but declined further comments.
Community demands release of victims
The Kuturmi Unity Development Association (KUDA) condemned the attack in a statement on Monday by its Publicity Secretary, Manasseh Samuel, saying “this senseless act of violence against innocent travellers, particularly students, is deeply troubling and unacceptable.”
The statement read in part, “A total of 25 passengers, including the driver, were involved in the incident. The attack led to the abduction of the following individuals: Augustina Muntari (SS2, GSS Gumel), Happy Muntari (JS2, GSS Gumel), Favour Tanimu (JS2, GSS Kachia), Patience Joseph (JS2, GSS Kachia), Peace Irimiya (St. John), Bishara Irimiya (St. John), Irimiya Galadima, Fatu Danladi and Larba Caleb. Tragically, the attack also resulted in the loss of one life: Purity Babangida.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased and stand in solidarity with them in this moment of grief. KUDA expresses great concern over the increasing rate of abductions within our communities.”
