The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has announced the rescue of eight children suspected to have been stolen and kept at a private orphanage in Asaba, Delta State.
This is contained in a statement on Tuesday by NAPTIP’s Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye.
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The operation was conducted with support from the State Security Service (SSS), Anambra State Command.
Also involved were the Nigerian Police Force, Delta State Command, the Kano State Ministry of Women Affairs, and civil society organisations based in Kano. The orphanage is reportedly run by a senior official.
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The operator is said to be a member of the executive committee of the Association of Orphanage Operators in Nigeria. Investigations revealed the children were trafficked from Kano and other northern states.
The children were allegedly stolen by an inter-state child trafficking syndicate and transported to the South-south and south–eastern regions of Nigeria.
Mr Adekoye recalled similar concerns raised by parents back in 2017.
He explained the syndicate operated in two groups: one builds trust within communities and abducts children, while the other targets unaccompanied minors at parks, motor terminals, or while running errands.
Mr Adekoye noted trafficking escalated in 2022, with more than 25 children reportedly abducted from the region, sparking public outrage and prompting civil society groups to demand urgent action from relevant authorities.
A group called Protection Against The Abduction and Missing of Our Children (PATAMOOC) submitted a petition to NAPTIP on 15 December 2022, urging the rescue of missing Kano children.
NAPTIP then launched a discreet investigation to trace the children’s whereabouts.
Intelligence-driven operations followed in Anambra and Delta states, though the Awka operation failed as the syndicate moved the children overnight.
However, the Asaba operation uncovered more than 70 children at the privately-run orphanage, including 15 newborn babies. Out of these, eight were identified as those allegedly stolen from Kano State.
Reacting to the rescue, NAPTIP Director-General Binta Adamu-Bello condemned orphanages that served as safe havens for trafficked children, emphasising the alarming number of minors found in a single facility.
“This operation was intelligence-driven and executed with precision, in collaboration with our security partners and civil society actors,” she said, confirming the children were identified and reunited with their families.
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“NAPTIP is seriously concerned about the activities of these so-called orphanages and care homes. Seventy children in one facility, and that number keeps growing daily,” Adamu-Bello added with concern.
She further revealed that the orphanage owner had been evading investigation and spreading falsehoods about NAPTIP on social media, instead of cooperating with authorities or presenting himself for questioning.
“We have told him to report to our Kano Zonal Command and cooperate with the investigation.
“The children have been handed over to the appropriate authorities in Kano State,” she stated.
She called on state ministries of women affairs to intensify oversight of orphanages and care homes, many of which were rapidly increasing.
NAPTIP said it would continue enforcing its oversight regulations.
(NAN)
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