RismadarVoice Reporters
August 31, 2026
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says it has rescued more than 180 children allegedly trafficked from five states by suspected criminal networks operating under the cover of civil society organisations.
The agency disclosed this in a statement on Monday, saying its recent operations resulted in the recovery of three children allegedly taken from a distressed family in Kajuru, Kaduna State, and later found in a high-rise building in a highbrow area of Onitsha, Anambra State.
NAPTIP also reported the recovery of another child from a nurse at the Federal Medical Centre, Onitsha.
According to the agency, the nurse allegedly confessed to obtaining the child from an Abuja-based orphanage in 2023 after paying N771,000.
The development followed concerns raised by NAPTIP Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, over suspected trafficking networks allegedly targeting communities affected by insecurity.
Bello said some of the suspects had been using the names and platforms of civil society organisations to gain the trust of vulnerable parents before taking their children away under the guise of offering educational assistance and back-to-school programmes.
She disclosed that NAPTIP had created a Special Squad within its Investigation and Monitoring Department to investigate reports of missing children, rescue victims and ensure the prosecution of suspected traffickers.
The agency said the squad initially rescued children allegedly taken from communities in Benue and Nasarawa states.
NAPTIP said some of the children were subsequently moved to orphanages in Abuja and other locations, where they were allegedly sold to unidentified individuals under the guise of adoption after substantial payments were made.
A father whose son was among the rescued children said he had almost given up hope of finding the boy after he was taken from their community in Kajuru during a period of insecurity.
According to him, gunmen invaded the community about three years ago, forcing many residents to flee and leaving families vulnerable.
He said some individuals, including people known within the community, later approached parents claiming to represent an organisation offering educational opportunities to children from conflict-affected communities.
Trusting the arrangement, the parents allowed their children to leave for urban areas in the belief that they would receive better education.
However, the individuals later stopped providing information about the children and eventually disappeared.
The father said his son was only three years old when he was taken and is now six.
He described his reunion with the child as emotional, saying he was relieved to find him alive but concerned about his condition.
He eventually identified his son among photographs of rescued children posted on NAPTIP’s Facebook page and contacted the agency.
He expressed appreciation to NAPTIP officials for recovering his child.
Commenting on the case involving the nurse 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 people posing as civil society workers in child trafficking activities.
She urged the umbrella body of civil society organisations in Nigeria, particularly groups involved in humanitarian and anti-trafficking activities, to investigate their ranks and expose individuals suspected of criminal activities.
Bello acknowledged the role of genuine CSOs in humanitarian work and the fight against trafficking but warned that criminal elements appeared to have infiltrated some organisations.
She said investigations and accounts from survivors and their relatives showed that suspected traffickers often exploited the credibility of established CSOs to gain the confidence of parents in communities affected by insecurity.
According to her, the suspects would then offer to relocate children to urban centres for educational opportunities before disappearing with them.
Bello described the practice as criminal and harmful to already vulnerable families, urging CSOs to conduct internal investigations and ensure that suspected traffickers are exposed.
She said NAPTIP had also launched a manhunt for other individuals identified during its investigations.
The agency assured the public that anyone found culpable would be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
