Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have successfully rescued eight children suspected of being trafficked from Kano and other Northern states to the South-South and Eastern regions of Nigeria.
The children were found in a privately owned orphanage operated by an executive member of the Association of Orphanage Operators in Nigeria.
A statement from NAPTIP’s press officer, Vincent Adekoye, revealed that the operation was supported by the Department of State Service (DSS) in Anambra State and the Nigerian Police in Delta State, with Kano State government’s collaboration and local civil society organisations.Speaking during the discovery, Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Bello, commended the precision with which the rescue was coordinated.
She said, “The operation in question was carried out with precision, and it was purely intelligence-driven stemming from the persistent outcry of distressed parents in Kano and other states.
“NAPTIP is seriously worried over the unwholesome activities of these so-called orphanages. Imagine over 70 children inside an orphanage, and the number keeps increasing daily. The big question is, where are these children from?”
The investigation into the trafficking syndicate began in 2017 when parents in Kano reported that children aged between two and 10 were being lured and abducted.
The syndicate typically infiltrated communities, building rapport with children before disappearing with them, the anti-trafficking agency said.“In 2022, over 25 children allegedly fell victim to similar abductions, prompting calls for intervention from concerned organisations, including a letter from the NGO Protection Against The Abduction Missing of Our Children (PATAMOOC),” NAPTIP said in a statement.During the operation, a total of 70 children, including 15 newborns, were discovered at the orphanage in Asaba, Delta State.
The eight identified children from Kano were promptly rescued and have been reunited with their families.
Bello highlighted the evasion tactics of the orphanage’s owner, stating, “The owner has been running from pillar to post… Rather than doing the right thing, he is busy using social media to propagate absolute falsehood against the Agency.”
In closing, the NAPTIP Director General called on state ministries of women’s affairs across the country to scrutinise the activities of orphanages and care homes, ensuring they comply with regulations that protect vulnerable children.
She affirmed NAPTIP’s commitment, saying, “We shall continue to carry out our oversight function on them in line with the provisions of the Trafficking in Persons (Control of Activities of Organisations and Centres) Regulations 2019.”
