Gunmen Kill at Least 29 at Football Pitch in Northeast Nigeria

Apr 28, 2026

Armed attackers killed at least 29 people at a football pitch in Adamawa state, Nigeria, while in a separate incident gunmen kidnapped 23 children from the Dahallukitab Group of Schools orphanage in Lokoja, Kogi State, also abducting the proprietor's wife. Security agencies rescued 15 children, leaving eight still missing. The orphanage was operating illegally in a remote location without authorities' knowledge. These attacks continue a pattern of mass kidnappings that have become common in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, where gangs exploit rural areas with little government presence to extract ransom payments. Nigeria faces multiple overlapping conflicts including Boko Haram violence, bandit gangs, farmer-herder clashes, and the ISIL-linked Lakurawa group operating near the Niger border.

Kidnapping of children from unregistered orphanage in Kogi State

▪The Dahallukitab Group of Schools orphanage was operating illegally in a remote location without the knowledge of relevant authorities and security agencies.
▪Security agencies rescued 15 children from the Dahallukitab Group of Schools kidnapping, leaving eight children still missing.
▪Gunmen raided the Dahallukitab Group of Schools orphanage in Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria and kidnapped at least 23 children late on Sunday.
▪Kingsley Fanwo is the Information Commissioner of Kogi State, Nigeria.
▪The wife of the proprietor of the Dahallukitab Group of Schools orphanage was abducted during the kidnapping raid.

Mass kidnappings as criminal enterprise in Nigeria

▪Mass kidnappings have become a common way for gangs and armed groups to make quick money in Nigeria, especially in rural areas with little government presence.
▪Gunmen took hundreds of students from their school in Niger State, Nigeria in November in an attack security sources blamed on Boko Haram.

Multiple armed conflicts and security threats across Nigeria

▪Some attacks in the North Central Zone of Nigeria have been blamed on armed groups.
▪Nigeria faces multiple conflicts including long-running violence by the Boko Haram armed group, bandit gangs, farmer-herder violence, and southeastern separatists.
▪The North Central Zone of Nigeria, where Kogi is located, has seen violent attacks including raids on schools in recent months.

Perspective of Kogi State government officials

▪Kogi State authorities were unaware of the Dahallukitab Group of Schools orphanage's existence prior to the kidnapping incident.

Perspective of Nigerian security agencies

▪Nigerian security agencies successfully rescued 15 of the 23 children kidnapped from the Dahallukitab Group of Schools orphanage.

Perspective of Rural communities in northern and north-central Nigeria

▪Rural communities in northern Nigeria face regular threats from multiple armed groups including Boko Haram, bandit gangs, and the ISIL-linked Lakurawa group.