Bandits Release Six Schoolchildren, Three Others After 36 Days in Captivity in Kaduna

Suspected bandits have released six schoolchildren, their driver and two other passengers abducted on the Akwando-Kachia Road in Kaduna State after 36 days in captivity.

The victims were kidnapped on April 26, 2026, when gunmen attacked a vehicle conveying schoolchildren from Akwando village to Kachia, the headquarters of Kachia Local Government Area. A total of nine passengers were abducted, while a young girl reportedly died during the incident.

The spokesman of the Kuturmi Unity Development Association, Mr Manasseh Samuel, confirmed the development, explaining that the victims returned home on Sunday morning after trekking for about six hours through the bush.

A former media aide to the late Kaduna State governor, Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, Mr Reuben Buhari, also confirmed the release in a Facebook post. “Thirty-six days after they were kidnapped while on their way to school in Kachia from Akwando village, six schoolchildren, the driver of the vehicle and two other adults regained their freedom yesterday and got home this morning after trekking for six hours in the bush,” he wrote.

Buhari added that the children endured a traumatic experience and lost almost an entire academic term while in captivity. He called for sustained prayers for other residents still being held by kidnappers, noting that those abducted from Awon village have spent 42 days in captivity, while those from Ariko village have spent 57 days.

Sources: Daily Post