By IFEANYI OLANNYE

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says its June raid in Asaba, Delta State, led to the rescue of eight children allegedly stolen from Kano State.

NAPTIP Director-General, Binta Bello, clarified this in a statement issued in Asaba on Friday, in response to social media claims misrepresenting the agency’s rescue operations in the southern region.

She said the agency had acted on verified intelligence and urged the Delta State Government to probe orphanage homes to uncover unethical activities reportedly taking place in some private facilities.

Bello reiterated that NAPTIP, under the Trafficking in Persons Act (2015), was empowered to address all forms of trafficking and violence against persons, with zero tolerance for unethical practices nationwide.

She disclosed that several individuals were already claiming parentage of the rescued children, prompting the agency to deploy DNA testing and other tools to verify all competing claims for proper reunification.

She specifically called for an investigation into the activities of Happy Home Orphanage, which had faced serious allegations, as acknowledged by the Delta Commissioner for Women Affairs during recent engagements.

According to Bello, the operation followed a petition received in Dec. 2022 from the Protection Against Abduction and Missing Children (PATAMOC), led by Mr Ismail Mohammed.

The petition, titled “Demand for Justice and Addressing Child Abduction in Kano State and Nigeria,” led to NAPTIP’s Kano Zonal Command initiating intelligence gathering on suspected trafficking activities.

During investigations, the agency learned that a Gombe resident, Hauwa Abubakar, had been arrested by police for allegedly possessing stolen children trafficked from various parts of Gombe State.

Bello said Hauwa admitted selling 21 children to one Nkechi Odlyne, who allegedly sold seven of them to Christopher Nwoye, the proprietor of Happy Home Orphanage in Asaba.

“Each child was reportedly sold for N450,000. Following the confession, Nwoye was arrested in Gombe, where he confessed and returned four children to the authorities during preliminary investigations.”

Bello confirmed that Nwoye, Hauwa Abubakar, and Nkechi Odlyne are currently being prosecuted at Gombe High Court 1, with the women in custody while Nwoye attends court on bail.

She explained that three of the returned children had already been identified by their biological parents in Gombe. One child’s photo was circulated on PATAMOC’s WhatsApp platform for wider identification.

“A woman in Kano, whose child had been missing, recognised the girl as her daughter, Aisha Buhari. However, Aisha had already been returned to the orphanage by then.

“NAPTIP received further reports from PATAMOC and the Kano Government, who are actively searching for more than 600 missing children across the state between the years 2010 and 2019.”

Bello said based on new intelligence, NAPTIP dispatched operatives from Abuja and Kano to Asaba on June 12, 2025, to rescue Aisha Buhari and verify the status of other children.

The team include PATAMOC’s Kano Chairman, who could personally identify Aisha and had photographs of other missing children from the state believed to be at the orphanage.

She noted that the operation was conducted in collaboration with the Delta State Police Command, which provided armed officers from B Division to assist in the rescue effort.

“The team visited the Happy Home Orphanage on June 15, 2025, but the proprietor was absent. His wife, unable to reach him, was the only adult present during the raid.

“More than 70 children were found at the facility.

“The PATAMOC official was able to identify Aisha and seven other children using existing photographs of reported missing children from Kano.”

Bello said no arrests were made during the operation, as removing the wife, the only adult present, could had created chaos among the many toddlers and children at the home.

She explained that, due to conflicting claims from Kano and Delta women, the children were moved to a secure NAPTIP shelter pending the conclusion of thorough investigations, including DNA testing.

“The agency will not release any of the children until investigations are concluded and parentage confirmed,” Bello assured, calling for public understanding and patience throughout the process.

She emphasised that the children were not abducted by NAPTIP, but lawfully rescued under its statutory mandate to investigate and prosecute cases of trafficking and child exploitation. (NAN)