NAPTIP Rescues Over 180 Trafficked Children, Arrests Nurse In Anambra

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued more than 180 children allegedly trafficked across five states by organised criminal groups operating under the guise of civil society organisations.

The agency also arrested a nurse at the Federal Medical Centre, Onitsha, Anambra State, after one of the rescued children was found in her possession.

NAPTIP disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday by its Head of Press and Public Relations, Vincent Adekoye.
The latest operation led to the recovery of three children allegedly taken from a distressed family in Kajuru, Kaduna State, and transported to a high-rise private building in a highbrow area of Onitsha.

Another trafficked child was recovered from the custody of the clinical staff member at the Federal Medical Centre, Onitsha.

According to the agency, the suspects involved in the trafficking operations allegedly target crisis-ridden communities, where they deceive vulnerable parents into surrendering their children under the guise of providing educational support and back-to-school programmes.

The development followed the establishment of a Special Squad by NAPTIP Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, within the Investigation and Monitoring Department to investigate reports of missing children, rescue victims and apprehend those responsible.

The agency said the first batch of rescued children were taken from communities in Benue and Nasarawa states before being moved to orphanages in Abuja and other states.

NAPTIP alleged that the children were subsequently sold to unidentified individuals under the guise of adoption after substantial sums of money had been paid.

One of the rescued children’s fathers, whose identity was withheld, recounted how his three-year-old son was taken from Kajuru three years ago after gunmen invaded the community and displaced residents.

According to him, some people who claimed to be running an NGO approached displaced parents and offered to take their children to the city for proper education.

He said the parents accepted the offer because they believed it would give their children better educational opportunities.
However, he said the alleged NGO operators later stopped responding to the parents and the children disappeared.
The father said he eventually identified his son among photographs of rescued children published on NAPTIP’s Facebook page.

He expressed gratitude to the agency for rescuing his son, who is now six years old.
The father said the boy appeared unkempt and unhappy and seemed to have been used as a house help, but added that he was grateful to have found him alive.

Meanwhile, the nurse arrested at the Federal Medical Centre, Onitsha, allegedly told investigators that she obtained the child from an orphanage in Abuja in 2023 after paying N771,000.

NAPTIP did not disclose the name of the nurse or the orphanage.
Reacting to the development, Bello expressed concern over the alleged involvement of individuals masquerading as civil society organisation members in child trafficking.

The NAPTIP boss called on the umbrella body of civil society organisations in Nigeria to investigate and expose criminal elements operating within its ranks.
Bello said some criminal elements had allegedly infiltrated civil society organisations and were exploiting their credibility to gain access to vulnerable families in communities affected by insecurity.

She said the suspects allegedly use the platforms of reputable civil society organisations to deceive parents into releasing their children under the guise of educational assistance before disappearing with them.

“These children are later sold allegedly to the highest bidders. This is criminal, and it is a direct way of adding more sorrow to already traumatised families,” Bello said.
She urged civil society organisations, particularly those working in humanitarian and counter-trafficking activities, to conduct an internal cleansing and expose members involved in child trafficking.

“They must be flushed out,” she said.
Bello added that NAPTIP had commenced a manhunt for individuals identified during its investigation, assuring that the agency would ensure that those arrested and found culpable face the full weight of the law.

The agency said investigations into the latest cases were ongoing.