Owner of Happy Home Orphanage, a controversial facility in Asaba, Delta State, Mr. Christopher Nwoye, has voluntarily surrendered to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), after weeks of evading arrest.
This was confirmed in a statement issued Thursday in Abuja by the agency’s spokesperson, Mr. Vincent Adekoye.
NAPTIP had earlier declared Nwoye wanted in statements released on September 17 and September 26, alleging that he was on the run following a raid on the orphanage that uncovered over 70 children, including 15 newborns.
> “Mr. Christopher Nwoye gave himself up today when he arrived at the Headquarters of NAPTIP, Abuja, in the company of his lawyer and women,” said Adekoye.
The orphanage is under investigation for allegedly housing children believed to have been trafficked from Kano, Gombe, and other northern states.
According to the agency, eight of the newborns rescued from the facility have been traced to cases of abduction from those regions.
In a statement addressing the development, NAPTIP Director-General, Hajia Binta Adamu-Bello, emphasized that the agency’s actions were lawful and in line with its mandate under the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
> “It is important to restate that the rescue operation by NAPTIP operatives at Happy Home Orphanage was not an abduction, as the agency does not engage in such condemnable acts,” she said.
> “The action was a lawful undertaking… which empowers NAPTIP to investigate, rescue, and prosecute cases of trafficking, abduction, and related offences.”
She confirmed that Nwoye’s surrender marked a significant step in the ongoing investigation.
> “It is very important that Mr. Nwoye is in our facility now in connection with the alleged stolen children that were traced to his orphanage and rescued by operatives of NAPTIP. His presence is crucial to the ongoing investigation,” she added.
The agency also disclosed that four women claiming to be mothers of some of the children had refused previous invitations but are now in custody and undergoing interrogation to verify their claims.
Adamu-Bello reassured the public that the welfare of the rescued children remains a top priority.
> “The children are safe, in a protective shelter, and receiving the best care available while investigations continue,” she stated.
She also dismissed claims that the children were being coerced into changing religions.
> “The children are not being forced to embrace any religion, and they will not be forced to do so,” she affirmed.
DNA testing is expected to be part of the investigative process to determine the true parentage of the rescued children before any final decisions are made.
