By Favour Ulebor
ABUJA — The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, has rescued more than 180 children allegedly trafficked from five states by suspected criminal syndicates operating under the guise of civil society organisations.
The agency disclosed this in a statement on Monday, saying its latest operations led to the recovery of three children allegedly taken from a distressed parent in Kajuru, Kaduna State, and found in a high-rise private building in a choice area of Onitsha, Anambra State.
Another child was also recovered from the custody of a nurse at the Federal Medical Centre, Onitsha.
According to NAPTIP, the nurse confessed to obtaining the child from a prominent orphanage in Abuja in 2023 after allegedly paying N771,000.
The development comes amid concerns raised by the Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, over the activities of suspected trafficking syndicates allegedly moving from one crisis-affected community to another under the guise of providing educational assistance and back-to-school programmes.
Bello said some of the suspected traffickers had been using the platforms of civil society organisations to gain the confidence of parents in security-challenged communities before taking away their children under false pretences.
She disclosed that NAPTIP had established a Special Squad within its Investigation and Monitoring Department to investigate reports of missing children, rescue trafficked children and ensure that those responsible were prosecuted.
The agency said the first batch of children rescued by the squad were allegedly taken from communities in Benue and Nasarawa states.
NAPTIP said some of the children were subsequently moved to orphanages in Abuja and other states, where they were allegedly sold to unidentified individuals under the guise of adoption after substantial sums of money had been paid.
Father reunited with son
Recounting his experience, the father of one of the rescued children, whose identity was withheld, said he had initially lost hope of seeing his son again after the child was taken from their community in Kajuru during a period of insecurity.
The father said gunmen had invaded the community about three years ago, displacing residents and leaving families vulnerable.
He said some individuals, including people known to the community, later approached affected parents, claiming to operate an NGO that provided educational support to children from crisis-affected communities.
According to him, the parents agreed to allow the children to leave for the city because they believed the arrangement would provide them with better educational opportunities.
He said the individuals later stopped giving satisfactory explanations about the children’s whereabouts and eventually disappeared with them.
The father said his son was three years old when he was taken away and is now six.
He expressed mixed feelings upon seeing the child again, saying he was happy that his son was alive but concerned about his condition.
“It is a mixture of joy and sadness for me because he looks very unkempt, unhappy, and it appears that he is being used as house help. On the other hand, I am happy that I am seeing him alive,” he said.
He said he eventually discovered that his son had been rescued after coming across NAPTIP’s Facebook page, where photographs of recovered children had been published.
“I saw my son among them and started chatting with NAPTIP, only to find out that my son was indeed among them. I thank the Director-General of NAPTIP and the gallant officers of the agency for rescuing my son. This is just like a dream. I am happy,” he said.
NAPTIP demands CSO cleansing
On the nurse arrested in Onitsha, NAPTIP said she admitted obtaining the child from an orphanage in Abuja in 2023 after allegedly paying N771,000.
Bello expressed concern over the alleged involvement of individuals masquerading as members of civil society organisations in child trafficking.
She called on the umbrella body of CSOs in Nigeria, particularly organisations working in the humanitarian and anti-trafficking sector, to investigate and expose suspected criminal elements within their ranks.
“I am seriously disturbed by the activities of some persons masquerading as members of Civil Society Organizations, who have been fingered in several issues of child trafficking from across the country,” Bello said.
She acknowledged the contributions of genuine CSOs to humanitarian and counter-trafficking efforts but warned that criminal elements appeared to have infiltrated some organisations.
According to her, investigations and accounts from survivors and their relatives indicated that the suspects often used the platforms and credibility of prominent CSOs to gain the trust of parents in communities affected by insecurity.
She said the suspects would then offer to take children to urban centres under the guise of providing educational support before disappearing with them.
“These children are later sold allegedly to the highest bidders,” Bello said.
Describing the practice as criminal and harmful to already traumatised families, the NAPTIP boss urged CSOs to carry out internal investigations and expose members suspected of involvement in trafficking.
“They must be flushed out,” she said.
Bello further disclosed that NAPTIP had commenced a manhunt for individuals identified during its investigations, assuring that the agency would ensure that anyone found culpable was brought to justice.
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