By Evelyn Usman
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 northern states and trafficked to the South–South and South–East regions by a notorious interstate child trafficking syndicate.
The rescued children, aged between two and 10 years, were reportedly found in a privately owned orphanage run by a top executive of the Association of Orphanage Operators in Nigeria.
Over 70 children, including 15 newborns, were discovered at the facility, according to NAPTIP. However, it confirmed that only eight were identified as missing children from Kano.
The operation, described as “intelligence-driven,” was carried out with the support of the Department of State Services (DSS), Anambra State Command; the Nigeria Police, Delta Command; and the Kano State Ministry of Women Affairs, with the active involvement of civil society organisations and distressed parents.
Speaking on the operation, the Director General of NAPTIP, Dr. Binta Bello, decried what she described as the “unwholesome activities” of some orphanages in the country. She said the breakthrough followed years of lamentations by parents in Kano and neighbouring states, who, as far back as 2017, had raised alarm over syndicates luring children between the ages of two and 10 from schools, markets and neighbourhoods.
She recalled that in December 2022, a Kano-based NGO, Protection Against the Abduction and Missing of Our Children (PATAMOOC), petitioned NAPTIP on behalf of more than 200 affected parents.
The petition by the NGO read in part:“We, the parents, are in serious pain. Some of us are already hospitalised, while others have passed away due to the shock of losing our children and the continuous uncertainty of waiting daily for news — whether they will be found dead or alive.”
According to Bello, “It was this outcry that set off discreet investigations, leading to the coordinated raids in Anambra and Delta. While the Anambra operation was thwarted as the children were moved overnight, the Asaba raid yielded results. Reports showed that more than 70 children, including 15 newborns, were crammed into the orphanage. Out of this number, eight were positively identified as missing from Kano and were immediately rescued.”
She continued: “The operation in question was carried out with precision, and it was purely intelligence-driven with the involvement of our partners, including DSS, Police, and other members of the intelligence community. It was a fallout of the persistent outcry of distressed parents in Kano and other northern states.”
On the disturbing discovery in Asaba, Bello noted:“NAPTIP is seriously worried over the activities of these so–called orphanages and care homes. Imagine over 70 children inside one orphanage, the number increasing daily. The big question is, where are these children from?”
She also criticised the orphanage operator for refusing to honour invitations:“The owner of the Home has been running from pillar to post, writing to various government organs, rather than submitting himself for investigation at our Kano Zonal Command. Instead, he is busy spreading absolute falsehood on social media. That will not distract us from carrying out our mandate.”
Bello further disclosed that the rescued children have been taken to Kano and reunited with their families.
While appealing to state ministries of women affairs nationwide to intensify oversight of orphanages, she assured that NAPTIP would continue to enforce the Trafficking in Persons (Control of Activities of Organisations and Centres) Regulations 2019, adding that “This operation underscores our commitment to combat the sale and trafficking of persons, protect vulnerable children, and ensure justice in line with the law.”
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