NAPTIP rescues over 180 trafficked children in five states

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 yesterday, 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 came 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.

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.