NAPTIP Uncovers Child Trafficking Syndicate, Rescues 8 Stolen Children from Orphanage

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued eight children allegedly stolen from Kano and other northern states and trafficked to the South–South and South–East regions by a notorious interstate child trafficking network.

The victims, aged between two and 10, were discovered in a privately run orphanage owned by a top executive of the Association of Orphanage Operators in Nigeria. Officials said more than 70 children, including 15 newborns, were found at the facility, though only eight were confirmed as missing children from Kano.

The operation, described as a major breakthrough, was carried out in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS) in Anambra State, the Delta State Police Command, the Kano State Ministry of Women Affairs, civil society groups, and distressed parents who had long raised alarms about missing children.

NAPTIP’s Director-General, Dr. Binta Bello, condemned what she called the “unwholesome activities” of some orphanages across the country.

She recalled that parents in Kano and neighbouring states had, since 2017, reported cases of children being lured away from schools, markets, and neighbourhoods. In December 2022, a Kano-based NGO, Protection Against the Abduction and Missing of Our Children (PATAMOOC), petitioned NAPTIP on behalf of over 200 affected families.

Quoting the petition, Bello noted: “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.”

NAPTIP said investigations are ongoing to dismantle the trafficking network and reunite more missing children with their families.