Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have rescued more than 180 children allegedly trafficked from five states across Nigeria by suspected criminal groups posing as members of civil society organisations.
The agency said the suspected traffickers allegedly deceived parents in different communities and took their children away under false pretences, including promises of educational support and back-to-school programmes.
The latest operation led to the recovery of three children allegedly trafficked from Kajuru, Kaduna State, from a high-rise private building in an upscale area of Onitsha, Anambra State.
Another child was also found in the care of a clinical staff member at the Federal Medical Centre, Onitsha.
The development followed concerns raised by the Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, over the activities of suspected trafficking syndicates allegedly moving from one crisis-ridden community to another to obtain children from vulnerable parents.
According to the agency, a Special Squad was established within its Investigation and Monitoring Department a few months ago following a series of reports of missing children across the country.
The squad was specifically tasked with tracing and recovering children believed to have been trafficked and ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice.
NAPTIP said the first batch of recovered children included victims allegedly taken from communities in Benue and Nasarawa states.
The children were reportedly moved to orphanages in Abuja and other states before allegedly being sold to unidentified individuals under the guise of adoption after substantial sums of money were paid.
One of the parents whose child was recovered, and whose name was withheld, expressed joy over being reunited with his six-year-old son three years after he was taken from their community.
The father said unknown gunmen had invaded Kajuru, Kaduna State, at the time his son disappeared.
He said some parents were convinced to allow their children to leave with individuals who promised them a better future.
“I and some other parents were convinced, and since it has to do with the future of our children, we allowed them to take them away. We never knew that they deceived us. They tricked us and took our children away,” he said.
The father explained that when the children were expected to return home for the holidays a few months later, the parents approached those who had taken them away but were allegedly misled again.
He said they eventually lost contact with the children.
Speaking about his reunion with his son, the father said he had mixed feelings after discovering that the child was alive.
“This my son was three years old then, and now he is six years old. 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.
The father said he discovered his son’s whereabouts after seeing photographs of recovered children published on NAPTIP’s Facebook page.
He said he contacted the agency and later confirmed that his son was among the rescued children.
“How it happened was the pure act of God. I was directed to the Facebook page of NAPTIP where it was published that some children were recovered and their pictures were published. I saw my son among them and started chatting with NAPTIP only to find out that my son was indeed among them,” he said.
He commended the management of NAPTIP for its efforts in recovering the children and reuniting them with their families.
The agency’s operation highlights growing concerns over child trafficking syndicates allegedly exploiting insecurity, poverty and parents’ desire to secure better educational opportunities for their children.
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