… Agency Rescues 26 victims, Traces 274 Missing Minors
Daud Olatunji
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has busted a massive child-trafficking syndicate in Benue State allegedly operated by a 60-year-old woman — a prominent orphanage owner and founder of a child-rights NGO — who allegedly sold children for between ₦1 million and ₦3 million each.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that the suspect, described as a leading member of the Orphanage Owners’ Umbrella Body in Nigeria and founder of the National Council of Child’s Right Advocates of Nigeria (NACRAN), was arrested alongside three others after weeks of covert investigation by NAPTIP operatives in Makurdi.
A statement issued on Sunday by National Press Officer, NAPTIP, Abuja, Vincent Adekoye disclosed that the agency rescued 26 children during the operation, while 274 others remain unaccounted for.
According to the statement by Adekoye, the victims, aged between one and 13 years, were reportedly trafficked and sold to unsuspecting adopters and child buyers across Benue, Enugu, Lagos, Nasarawa, and the Federal Capital Territory.
Adekoye explained further that among those arrested were a 34-year-old woman and two other orphanage operators based in Abuja and Nasarawa, who allegedly acted as middlemen in the sale of the children under the guise of adoption.
He added that NAPTIP’s investigation began on May 1, 2025, after a man reported that his four-year-old son had been given out to an NGO by his mother-in-law without his consent.
When he demanded to see his son, he was told he would only be allowed access after three years.
The distressed father petitioned NAPTIP, prompting an undercover operation that exposed a sprawling network of traffickers using a deceptive “Back to School Project” as a cover to recruit children from displaced families in crisis-hit communities such as Daudu, Yelwata, and Ngban in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to NAPTIP, the suspects approached vulnerable families and traditional leaders with promises of free education for their children, collecting fake consent letters or verbal approvals.
Many parents later discovered their children had vanished — trafficked and sold to wealthy individuals across several states.
The agency revealed that several orphanage homes in Abuja and Nasarawa were used as “holding centers” for the trafficked children before being sold off as “adoptees.”
Four such facilities — located in Kaigini, Kubwa Expressway; Masaka Area 1, Mararaba by Abaca Road; and Mararaba behind the International Market — are currently under investigation.
In one shocking account, a complainant told investigators that he paid ₦2.8 million as an adoption fee and ₦100,000 as a “consultancy charge” to a member of the syndicate.
NAPTIP operatives also discovered that many of the rescued children’s identities had been altered to conceal their origins, making it difficult to trace their biological families.
Reacting to the development, NAPTIP’s Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, described the discovery as “mind-boggling,” saying it exposed a deeply entrenched criminal network exploiting Nigeria’s orphanage system.
“A few weeks ago, based on credible intelligence, I raised concerns about the illegal activities of some orphanage operators across the country. Unfortunately, this case confirms our fears,” Bello said.
“It is painful that individuals with high social standing are using their influence to deceive vulnerable families and sell their children in the name of adoption. This is not only criminal but deeply inhuman.”
Bello vowed that all suspects would face the full weight of the law and announced that NAPTIP would intensify its crackdown on illegal orphanages nationwide
“Our children are not commodities to be displayed in orphanages and sold to the highest bidders. This must stop,” she declared.
The Benue operation, officials said, is part of NAPTIP’s renewed campaign to dismantle child-trafficking rings operating through orphanage homes across the country.
The agency has directed all state Ministries of Women Affairs to strengthen oversight of orphanages and child-care facilities. It also urged the public to report suspicious adoption or child-care activities to NAPTIP offices nationwide.
The agency reaffirmed its commitment to reuniting the rescued children with their families and bringing all perpetrators of the heinous trade to justice.
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