National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued 26 children from an orphanage in Benue State and arrested the founder of the home over alleged involvement in child trafficking, illegal adoption, and child sale.
The agency’s Press Officer, Mr. Vincent Adekoye, revealed this in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja.
Adekoye disclosed that one of the key suspects is a 60-year-old man, founder of the National Council of Child’s Right Advocates of Nigeria (NACRAN) — an organisation with international recognition — based in Benue State. He added that a 34-year-old female accomplice was also apprehended.
> “The suspect is connected to a large-scale case of child trafficking, child sale, and illegal adoption,” Adekoye stated.
In a related operation, he said NAPTIP also arrested two other orphanage operators in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Nasarawa State, where several trafficked children were recovered.
According to Adekoye, the Makurdi Command of NAPTIP led the breakthrough raid in Benue, rescuing 26 children out of more than 300 believed to have been trafficked and sold across Benue, Enugu, Lagos, Nasarawa, and Abuja.
> “Investigation is ongoing to trace the remaining 274 children and to unravel the full extent of the syndicate’s operations,” he said.
He explained that the discovery followed a petition by a man who alleged that his four-year-old son had been given away by his mother-in-law to a non-governmental organisation without his consent.
This report, Adekoye said, led to the unmasking of a wider trafficking network.
Preliminary findings revealed that the suspects exploited vulnerable families in crisis-affected parts of Benue under a deceitful scheme called the “Back to School Project.”
“They held meetings with villagers and traditional rulers, claiming the project would sponsor children’s education,” Adekoye noted.
“Parents were deceived into signing consent forms or verbally agreeing to release their children, believing they would be reunited after three years.”
He said over 300 children, aged one to thirteen, were taken from their communities and moved to orphanages in Abuja and Nasarawa, where they were allegedly sold to prospective adopters for between ₦1 million and ₦3 million per child.
“Some orphanages acted as holding centres where children awaited ‘adoption’ or sale,” he revealed.
Adekoye added that at least four orphanage homes — located in Kaigini, Kubwa (Abuja); Masaka Area I, Mararaba (Nasarawa); and behind the International Market, Mararaba — have been linked to the trafficking network and are under investigation.
He also cited a complainant who claimed to have paid ₦2.8 million as adoption fees and ₦100,000 as consultancy fees to a member of the syndicate, adding that many of the children’s identities had been altered to hinder tracing.
Reacting to the development, the Director-General of NAPTIP, Hajiya Binta Adamu-Bello, described the discovery as “unbelievable and deeply troubling.”
“Arising from this case, it is clear that child trafficking and illegal adoption have become a national crisis demanding urgent attention,” she said.
“It is painful that some individuals with social recognition now use their status to deceive vulnerable families in conflict-ridden communities.”
She condemned the actions of the suspects, stating that such practices were both criminal and inhumane.
“Our children are not commodities to be displayed in orphanages and sold to the highest bidders. This must stop,” Adamu-Bello warned.
“Those already arrested will face the full wrath of the law.”
The NAPTIP chief reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to intensifying its nationwide crackdown on orphanages and care homes involved in illegal activities.
