• 26 children sold for up to N3m each rescued
• Ondo Police rescue five expectant mums in ‘baby factory’ raid
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has uncovered a large-scale child trafficking syndicate in Benue State, allegedly run by the founder of a high-profile NGO and orphanage operator.
The agency also rescued 26 children during the operation with over 270 others allegedly sold between N1 million and N3 million being traced.
NAPTIP in a statement yesterday said the operation followed a petition on May 1, by a man who reported that his four-year-old son was taken away by his mother-in-law and handed over to an NGO without his consent. He reported that when he insisted on knowing the whereabouts of his son, he was told he could only see him after three years.
His complaint triggered a far-reaching investigation that exposed the network’s operations across Benue, Abuja, Nasarawa, Enugu and Lagos States.
The principal suspect, a 60-year-old founder of the National Council of Child’s Right Advocates of Nigeria (NACRAN), Benue State, was arrested alongside three others.
Arrested alongside the alleged kingpin were a 34-year-old female accomplice, and two other orphanage operators in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and Nasarawa State, where some allegedly trafficked children were recovered.
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NAPTIP’s spokesman, Vincent Adekoye, alleged that the suspects ran a deceptive initiative tagged “Back to School Project”, which they used to lure unsuspecting families in crisis-hit rural communities of Benue, especially in Daudu, Yelwata, and Ngban areas of Guma Local Government Area.
He said: “Under the guise of sponsoring children’s education, the syndicate allegedly collected over 300 children from displaced or impoverished parents, many of whom were made to sign dubious consent forms or verbally agree to release their wards.
“The children, aged between one and 13, were then moved to orphanage homes in Abuja and Nasarawa, where they were allegedly sold to couples for between N1 million and N3 million each under the pretense of adoption.”
The agency said a complainant alleged that he paid N2.8 million as adoption fee and N100,000 consultancy charge to a member of the syndicate, adding that the identities of many rescued children had been changed, making tracing efforts difficult.
It said some of the orphanages served as holding centers, while others were directly involved in the sales. It said the children were trafficked to Abuja, Nasarawa, Enugu, and Lagos states.
Four homes located at Kagini, Kubwa Expressway, Abuja; Masaka Area 1, Mararaba, by Abacha Road; and Mararaba, behind the International Market, have been linked to the syndicate and are currently under investigation, NAPTIP said.
The agency’s Director General, Binta Adamu Bello, described the case as “unbelievable and mind-boggling,” warning that the commercialisation of children under the guise of orphanage or adoption services must stop.
“Our children are not commodities to be sold to the highest bidders. It is painful that some unpatriotic individuals use their social standing and recognised organisations to exploit vulnerable families in crisis-prone communities. This is unacceptable, and those responsible will face the full wrath of the law,” she said.
Bello noted that NAPTIP’s renewed crackdown on orphanage operations nationwide followed growing reports of illegal adoptions and trafficking under the cover of child welfare.
NAPTIP reaffirmed its commitment to tracing the remaining trafficked children and dismantling all networks involved in the illicit trade, added Adekoye.
Relatedly, operatives of the Ondo State Police Command uncovered a suspected “baby factory” and human trafficking syndicate in Ore, where children are sold between N400,000 and N600,000.
Five pregnant girls were rescued from the facility which was raised following a report by a teenager (names withheld) who alleged that she was lured to Ore from Ikot Ekpena, with a job offer, a statement by the command’s spokesman, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, said yesterday.
The police said that the pregnant teenager, reported that she was taken to a supposed clinic which turned out to be a baby factory, as she met several expectant teenagers in the facility who were held for exploitation.
According to the police, the victim was being taken to a hospital for scan on the instruction of the facility’s owner identified as Ada Clement, when she managed to escape and sought refuge at the Ore Police Station.
“Acting swiftly on the report, operatives from Ore Division, in collaboration with the Gender Unit, raided the said facility, leading to the successful rescue of five pregnant girls and a baby boy,” Ayanlade stated.
He added that one of the victims had already given birth and is currently receiving post-natal care at the General Hospital, Ore, while the others were in protective custody of the police.
Preliminary investigation, according to Ayanlade, revealed that the prime suspect, Clement, and her accomplices allegedly confessed to operating the baby factory, where young pregnant girls were kept until delivery. He said the babies were sold to individuals seeking children, adding that a girl child was sold from N400,000 and a male from N600,000.
The spokesman said the case had been moved to the command’s Gender Unit for continuation of investigation, adding that the Commissioner of Police (CP) Adebowale Lawal, has ordered the arrest and prosecution of all members of the trafficking ring.
