The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has rescued eight children suspected of being stolen from northern states and trafficked to the south
The operation, carried out in collaboration with the Department of State Services, the police, and local civil society groups, took place at a popular orphanage in Asaba, Delta State.
According to NAPTIP’s spokesperson, Vincent Adekoye, the raid followed years of complaints from parents in Kano and neighbouring states over missing children.
Trail of syndicates
Investigators believe syndicates posing as traders have been targeting children aged between two and ten. Some reportedly settle briefly in communities, familiarise themselves with children, and then vanish with them.
Others, NAPTIP said, operate from motor parks, luring unaccompanied children on errands or on their way to school.
At the Asaba orphanage, officials discovered more than 70 children, including newborns, though only eight were identified as those abducted from Kano. The children have since been reunited with their families.
“Imagine over 70 children inside an orphanage, and the number keeps increasing daily. The big question is, where are these children from?” NAPTIP’s Director General, Binta Bello, queried.
Years of complaints
The issue of child trafficking through orphanages has long been a concern in Nigeria. In 2022, over 25 children were allegedly lured from northern states by similar syndicates, prompting widespread outrage.
Parents in Kano had written petitions to NAPTIP, with some lamenting the trauma and health complications caused by the loss of their children. “We, the parents, are in serious pain. Some of us are already hospitalised, while others passed away due to the shock of our children being abducted,” one petitioner wrote.
That pressure led NAPTIP to intensify investigations, which eventually uncovered the trail leading to the Asaba orphanage.
Agency response
Bello said the rescued children were identified through photographs and distinguishing features by representatives of the affected parents. She dismissed claims by the orphanage operator, who reportedly turned to social media to discredit the agency, describing such actions as a “raw falsehood.”
She confirmed that the children have been returned to Kano and reunited with their families.
“The unpatriotic falsehood being spread on social media will not distract us from carrying out our mandate,” Bello stated.
Call for oversight
The NAPTIP chief urged state ministries of women affairs to tighten scrutiny of orphanages and care homes across the country, stressing that the agency remains committed to protecting vulnerable children.
She also commended the DSS, police, and civil society groups for their support, saying the operation demonstrated the importance of collaboration in tackling child trafficking.