Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have rescued eight children suspected to have been stolen from Kano and other parts of northern Nigeria and trafficked to the South-East and South-South regions by a wanted inter-state child trafficking syndicate.
A statement issued by Press Officer NAPTIP, Abuja, Vincent Adekoye on Tuesday, disclosed that the children were recovered during a raid on a privately owned orphanage in Asaba, Delta State, which is run by a prominent executive of the Association of Orphanage Operators in Nigeria.
The statement made available to PLATFORM TIMES added that the operation, which NAPTIP described as intelligence-driven, was carried out in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS), Anambra State Command, the Nigeria Police Force, Delta State Command, and with technical support from the Kano State Ministry of Women Affairs, civil society groups, and parents of missing children.
According to the statement, investigations have shown that the syndicate has been targeting children between the ages of two and ten years since 2017, using deceptive tactics to lure them from rural communities in Kano and neighbouring states.
It stated”some pose as traders within communities, while others operate from motor parks and terminals, where they prey on unaccompanied children on school .
The activities of the syndicate came to a head in 2022 when more than 25 children were reportedly abducted, sparking outrage from civil society organisations and concerned parents.
A petition from a group, Protection Against The Abduction Missing of Our Children (PATAMOOC), representing over 200 affected families, was submitted to NAPTIP in December 2022, demanding urgent intervention.
NAPTIP’s Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, said the operation was a response to years of distress calls from affected parents and pressure from stakeholders in Kano State.
Bello confirmed that while more than 70 children, including 15 newborn babies, were found in the Asaba orphanage, only eight of them were positively identified by parents from Kano and have since been reunited with their families.
“Imagine an orphanage housing over 70 children with the numbers increasing daily. The big question is: where are these children from?” Bello asked.
The DG described the development as disturbing, stressing that some orphanages and care homes in Nigeria have become “havens for stolen children.”
She added: “The owner of the orphanage has been evading investigation, preferring instead to spread falsehood on social media. On the day of the operation, our officers met his wife at the facility and informed her of the allegations. Contact was left for the owner to come forward, but he has refused.”
NAPTIP noted that the rescued children were handed over to the Kano State Government, where they were duly identified and reunited with their families.
Bello also urged state ministries of women affairs to intensify scrutiny of orphanages and care homes across the country, warning that NAPTIP will not relent in monitoring them in line with the Trafficking in Persons (Control of Activities of Organisations and Centres) Regulations, 2019.
“We commend the DSS, the Nigeria Police and other partners for their collaboration. This operation underscores our commitment to combat child trafficking, protect vulnerable children, and ensure justice is served,” the NAPTIP boss added.
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