Fifteen of the abducted children have been rescued, while eight remain missing after the attack on Dahallukitab Group of Schools, an illegally operating facility in Kogi State.
Authorities say intensive operations are underway to recover the remaining victims and apprehend the perpetrators, with no group yet claiming responsibility for this first recorded orphanage kidnapping in the region.
The incident highlights a surge in kidnappings for ransom in northern Nigeria, where armed gangs increasingly target schools and students amid a broader security crisis involving groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP.
How many more unregistered orphanages are operating as invisible targets for kidnappers in Nigeria?
Was Nigeria's first-ever orphanage attack a new terror tactic or a result of state neglect?
With US military aid flowing in, why are Nigeria's most vulnerable children now prime targets?
When an anti-kidnapping unit also makes people disappear, who can rescue Nigeria's children?
Is Boko Haram behind the raid, or has kidnapping simply become Nigeria’s most profitable industry?
Could community-led security succeed where Nigeria's official forces have failed to protect children?