The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued of eight children suspected to have been stolen and kept at a private orphanage in Asaba, Delta State Capital.
Penpushing reports that Press Officer of the agency, Vincent Adekoye made this known in a statement explaining that the operation was conducted with support from the State Security Service (SSS), Anambra State Command.
The statement added that involved were the Nigerian Police Force, Delta State Command, Kano State Ministry of Women Affairs, and civil society organisations based in Kano, disclosing that the orphanage is reportedly run by a senior official.
Penpushing further reports that Adekoye said that operator is said to be a member of the executive committee of the Association of Orphanage Operators in Nigeria, adding that investigations showed the children were trafficked from Kano and other northern states.
The statement stated that the children were allegedly stolen by an inter-state child trafficking syndicate and transported to the South-South and South–Eastern regions of Nigeria, recalling similar concerns raised by parents back in 2017.
Penpushing also reports that he explained the syndicate operated in two groups: one builds trust within communities and abducts children, while the other targets unaccompanied minors at parks, motor terminals, or while running errands.
The agency spokesperson pointed out that trafficking escalated in 2022, with more than 25 children reportedly abducted from the region, sparking public outrage and prompting civil society groups to demand urgent action from relevant authorities.
Penpushing reports that a group known as Protection Against The Abduction and Missing of Our Children (PATAMOOC) submitted a petition to the agency on December 15, 2022, urging the rescue of missing Kano children.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) thereafter launched a discreet investigation to trace the children’s whereabouts, while intelligence-driven operations followed in Anambra and Delta states.
Penpushing further reports that, though the Awka operation failed as the syndicate moved the children overnight, however, the Asaba operation uncovered more than 70 children at the privately-run orphanage, including 15 newborn babies. Out of these, eight were identified as those allegedly stolen from Kano State.
The Director-General of the agency Adamu-Bello, reacting to the rescue, condemned orphanages that served as safe havens for trafficked children, emphasising the alarming number of minors found in a single facility.
“This operation was intelligence-driven and executed with precision, in collaboration with our security partners and civil society actors,” she said, confirming the children were identified and reunited with their families.
“NAPTIP is seriously concerned about the activities of these so-called orphanages and care homes. Seventy children in one facility, and that number keeps growing daily,” Adamu-Bello added with concern.
Penpushing also reports that she noted that the orphanage owner had been evading investigation and spreading falsehoods about the agency on social media, instead of cooperating with authorities or presenting himself for questioning.
“We have told him to report to our Kano Zonal Command and cooperate with the investigation. The children have been handed over to the appropriate authorities in Kano State,” she stated.
Penpushing reports that the Director-General called on state ministries of women affairs to intensify oversight of orphanages and care homes, many of which were rapidly increasing, emphasizing that the agency would continue enforcing its oversight regulations.
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