Kidnapped Kaduna schoolchildren, driver regain freedom after 36 days in captivity

Relief and joy have swept through Kaduna State following the release of six schoolchildren, their driver, and two other victims who were abducted by suspected bandits along the Akwando-Kachia Road.

The victims regained their freedom after spending 36 days in captivity, bringing an end to weeks of anxiety for their families and communities.

The abduction occurred on April 26, 2026, when armed men suspected to be bandits intercepted a vehicle conveying the schoolchildren from Akwando village to Kachia, the headquarters of Kachia Local Government Area.

Nine passengers were taken away during the attack, while a young girl was reportedly killed.

Confirming the development, the spokesperson of the Kuturmi Unity Development Association (KUDA), Mr. Manasseh Samuel, said the victims regained their freedom and arrived home on Sunday morning.

“The victims returned home on Sunday morning after trekking for about six hours through the bush,” Samuel said.

He also expressed appreciation to various groups and individuals who supported efforts to secure the victims’ release through prayers and other forms of assistance.

A former media aide to the late Kaduna State governor, Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, Mr Reuben Buhari, who also confirmed the release of victims, disclosed in a Facebook post that the victims regained their freedom on Sunday and arrived home the following morning.

Buhari wrote, “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 added, “special gratitude to everyone for their prayers and contributions in different ways that led to their freedom.”

According to Buhari, the children endured a traumatic experience and lost almost an entire academic term while in captivity but expressed gratitude to God Almighty for their lives.

He called for sustained prayers for other residents still being held by kidnappers, particularly those abducted from Awon and Ariko villages, saying that those kidnapped from Awon village have spent 42 days, while those from Ariko village have spent 57 days.