…Suspected trafficker allegedly lured Children With Fake Free Education Scheme
…Three Alleged Buyers Arrested As Operatives Track Victims Across Three States
Daud Olatunji
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has rescued 15 minors allegedly trafficked from Nasarawa State and sold to suspected buyers for about N2m each.
The children were reportedly taken from Kama Madaki and Gudindi Mada communities in Kokona Local Government Area of the state under the guise of securing free education for them.
The NSCDC also disclosed that three suspected buyers, comprising a man and two women, had been arrested in connection with the alleged trafficking network.
The corps’ Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi, disclosed this on Friday at a briefing at the NSCDC headquarters in Abuja.
Afolabi said the suspected trafficker allegedly posed as an official of the National Council of Child Rights Advocates and used the identity to gain the confidence of vulnerable parents.
According to him, the suspect operated under the guise of running an NGO and orphanage initiative known as the Back to School Project, allegedly promising poor families that their children would receive free education.
He said the suspect allegedly collected 16 children from the two communities, with 15 subsequently recovered from their alleged buyers during an intelligence-led operation.
“Under the guise of operating an NGO and orphanage programme called the Back to School Project, he lured willing, less privileged parents into releasing their children with promises of free education,” Afolabi said.
The NSCDC spokesman said the operation was conducted by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad, led by Commander Dandaura Appollos, following intelligence gathering, surveillance and tracking of the suspected buyers.
He said operatives deployed technical intelligence, field tracking and coordinated operations across several states to locate the children.
“Through advanced field tracking, technical intelligence and multi-state tactical sweeps, operatives of the CG’s SIS tracked down the buyers who were from different locations in the country,” he said.
Afolabi disclosed that three of the rescued children were located in Anambra, Imo and Enugu states, while 12 others were recovered during coordinated operations along eastern transit routes.
The operation, according to the corps, prevented the children from being permanently separated from their families and further exploited by the alleged trafficking network.
The development highlights the vulnerability of children from economically disadvantaged communities to trafficking schemes, particularly where perpetrators exploit parents’ hopes of securing better education and opportunities for their children.
The NSCDC said investigations were still ongoing, stressing that other individuals connected to the alleged trafficking network could be arrested as the investigation progresses.
Afolabi said suspects found culpable would be prosecuted after the completion of investigations.
He urged parents and guardians to be wary of individuals or organisations seeking to take custody of their children under the pretext of providing education, welfare or other forms of assistance.
The corps further advised communities to verify the identities and credentials of organisations or individuals offering educational or welfare programmes involving children.
The NSCDC reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling human trafficking networks and protecting vulnerable children, warning that it maintained a zero-tolerance stance towards trafficking in persons and other criminal activities.
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