NAPTIP Dismantles Major Child Trafficking Ring in Benue, Rescues 26 Victims, Arrests Orphanage Leader
Story: written by Zara October 27,2025
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has arrested a prominent Benue-based orphanage operator and child rights advocate over allegations of mass child trafficking, unlawful adoption, and the sale of minors.
The 60-year-old suspect, a notable figure within Nigeria’s orphanage regulatory community and founder of the National Council of Child’s Right Advocates of Nigeria (NACRAN), was apprehended following investigations that uncovered a widespread trafficking syndicate.
NAPTIP officials confirmed the rescue of 26 children so far, from an estimated 300 allegedly taken from vulnerable communities and sold across Benue, Enugu, Lagos, Nasarawa, and Abuja. A nationwide search has been launched to locate and recover the remaining victims.
Three additional suspects, including a 34-year-old woman and two orphanage operators from the Federal Capital Territory and Nasarawa, were taken into custody after illicitly transferred children were traced to their facilities.
This enforcement action follows recent warnings by NAPTIP Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, concerning disturbing reports of criminal practices within some orphanages. She previously directed stricter monitoring to protect children in care.
According to case records, the investigation began on May 1, 2025, when a father reported that his four-year-old son had been removed from his custody without consent and handed to an NGO under unclear circumstances. Attempts to reclaim the boy were rebuffed, prompting his report to NAPTIP.
Preliminary findings show that traffickers targeted displaced and impoverished families in Guma Local Government Area through a deceptive outreach program known as the “Back to School Project.” Parents were misled into believing their children would receive formal education and be returned home after three years. Some children were taken without parental approval.
The victims, aged one to thirteen, were transported to various orphanages where they were allegedly sold to prospective adoptive couples for sums ranging between ₦1 million and ₦3 million per child. Investigators discovered forged identities and altered records designed to conceal the children’s origins.
NAPTIP identified multiple facilities in Abuja and Nasarawa that served as transit locations pending final placement with buyers. Investigations are ongoing to uncover the full network and financial flows behind the trafficking scheme.
Reacting to the development, Bello condemned the acts as an exploitation of survivor communities already impacted by communal violence and farmer-herder conflicts. She stressed that the agency will not allow unscrupulous individuals to commodify Nigerian children.
She reiterated that those in custody will face prosecution under federal law and affirmed the agency’s determination to restore every rescue victim to their rightful families whenever possible.
