Nine Children Freed After Church Abduction in Central Nigeria

Nine children who were abducted at gunpoint from a Roman Catholic church in central Nigeria last week have been released, local authorities confirmed.

The children were taken on February 8 while attending prayers at St. John’s Catholic Church in the Ado local government area of Benue State. Their abduction came amid a wave of mass kidnappings across Nigeria, raising international concern—including from the United States—over the country’s ongoing security challenges.

Solomon Iorpev, an adviser to the Benue State governor, said in a statement late Saturday that the rescued children, six girls and three boys, are now receiving care and support.

“The governor, who received the news of the rescue in high spirits, commended the effective collaboration between conventional security forces and local vigilante groups that ensured the safe return of the victims,” Iorpev added.

Authorities did not release details of the operation that led to the children’s release.

Benue State lies within Nigeria’s volatile Middle Belt region, which has experienced violent clashes between farmers and herders over land and resources, as well as frequent kidnappings by armed criminals. While paying ransoms to kidnappers is illegal in Nigeria, the government is often suspected of providing payments to secure releases.