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NAPTIP Rescues Eight Stolen Children From Delta Orphanage

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The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons on Tuesday said it rescued eight children suspected of having been stolen from northern states and trafficked to the south.

This followed a raid on a popular orphanage in the Delta state capital, Asaba.

NAPTIP’s spokesperson, Vincent Adekoye, revealed the development in a statement he signed and released on Tuesday titled ‘NAPTIP rescues eight suspected stolen children from a popular orphanage in Asaba.’

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The agency said the operation, conducted with the Department of State Services, the Nigerian police and local civil society groups, followed years of complaints from parents in Kano and neighbouring states over missing children.

According to the statement, syndicates posing as traders allegedly lured children aged between two and 10 from communities and transported them south, often vanishing overnight.

“In 2017, some parents in Kano and other States in the Region raised an alarm on the unwholesome activities of some syndicates who move from one Community to another other luring children mostly between the ages of two years to 10 years and trafficking them to other parts of the country.

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READ ALSO:I’m Not Coming, Speed Darlington Defies NAPTIP Arrest Warrant

“The investigation revealed that the syndicates operating under the guise of traders typically work in two batches.

“While a syndicate normally lives briefly within such a Community, gets used to the children, and later disappears with them, others come in as traders and operate from parks and terminals, where they lure unaccompanied children on their way to school and errands,” it read.

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In the Asaba orphanage, operatives found over 70 children, including newborns, though only eight were confirmed as those abducted from Kano.

They have since been reunited with their families, the agency confirmed.

“The rescued children were identified through their pictures and other features by the representative of the concerned parents from Kano State, out of the over 70 children found inside the Orphanage, including neonates,” the statement quoted NAPTIP’s Director General, Binta Bello, as saying.

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NAPTIP is seriously worried over the unwholesome activities of these so–called orphanages and Care Homes. Imagine over 70 children inside an orphanage, and the number keeps increasing daily.

READ ALSO:VIDEO: FCTA Seals NAPTIP Headquarters In Abuja

“The big question is, where are these children from?” she queried.

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The activities of orphanages in Nigeria have increasingly come under public scrutiny in recent years, following investigations by journalists and campaigners into child trafficking rings.

In 2023, investigative journalist Fisayo Soyombo exposed how some facilities had been used as cover for the sale of babies, prompting calls for stricter regulation of children’s homes.

NAPTIP said cases of child kidnapping incidents climaxed in 2022 when another set of over 25 children were allegedly lured and trafficked out of the northern region by the same suspected syndicate.

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This, it said, prompted a public outcry from stakeholders, including members of the Civil Society Organisation in the Communities within the states.

In a letter dated 15th December, 2022, a Non – Non-Governmental Organisation, Protection Against The Abduction of Our Children, in a petition addressed to the Director General of NAPTIP, titled, ‘Demand for Justice and Address the Child Abduction in Kano State and Nigeria’ sought the assistance of the Agency in rescuing the abducted children.

READ ALSO:NAPTIP Rescues Seven Girls From Iraq-bound Trafficking Ring In Abuja Hotel

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The organisation said, “On behalf of over 200 parents who are the victims of the series of abducted children, past and present, we are writing to seek your support and demand justice following the terrible experience we are facing.”

We, the parents, are in serious pain. Some of us are already hospitalised, while others passed away due to the shock of the children abducted and the continuous uncertainty and suspense daily waiting for the report whether they will be found dead or alive”, one beleaguered parent lamented.

After a series of interactions with the Kano State Government through the State Ministry of Women Affairs, NAPTIP said it commenced a discreet investigation to ascertain the location of the suspected trafficked children to rescue them unhurt.

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This led to the intelligence-driven operations in Anambra and Delta States,” Adekoye wrote.

While the operation in Awka, Anambra State, was unsuccessful as the syndicate reportedly moved the children away to an unknown location overnight, the operatives moved to Asaba and rescued eight of the suspected trafficked children from one of the popular orphanages located inside Asaba, the Delta State capital.

“Report from the operation indicated that while over 70 Children were discovered inside the Orphanage with about 15 newborn babies, only eight children were identified as allegedly stolen from Kano State, and they were subsequently rescued,” he stated.

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READ ALSO:I’m Not Coming, Speed Darlington Defies NAPTIP Arrest Warrant

NAPTIP’s Chief, Bello, explained that the rescued children were identified through photographs and distinguishing features by representatives of the affected parents from Kano, out of more than 70 children, including newborns, discovered in the orphanage.

She expressed deep concern over what she described as the unwholesome activities of some orphanages and care homes, questioning the origins of the large number of children housed in such facilities.

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Bello accused the operator of the orphanage of evading investigation by turning to social media to spread falsehoods against the agency, instead of presenting himself to NAPTIP’s Kano Zonal Command.

She clarified that operatives met the owner’s wife during the raid but did not arrest her since she was not the target, and that contact information was left behind for the owner to reach the agency.

On the day of the operation, our Operatives met the wife of the Owner of the Orphanage there. She was not arrested because she was not our target.

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“She was informed of the allegation, and the necessary contact was left behind so that the Owner can reach us,” Bello explained.

READ ALSO:Men Now Becoming Victims Of Domestic Violence – NAPTIP

She added, “Those children were rescued and taken to the necessary arm of the Government in Kano State.

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“They have been duly identified and reunited with their families.

“So, the raw falsehood based on religious labelling being sold to the public through social media by this unpatriotic individual is regrettable, and it will not distract us from carrying out our mandate.”

The NAPTIP chief urged state ministries of women affairs across the country to scrutinise the activities of orphanages and care homes, pledging that the agency would continue its oversight role in line with the Trafficking in Persons (Control of Activities of Organisations and Centres) Regulations 2019.

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She commended the DSS, the police, and other partners for their collaboration, stressing that the operation underscored NAPTIP’s commitment to combating child trafficking, protecting vulnerable children, and ensuring justice in line with the law.
(PUNCH)

Metro

Fire Guts Section Of Rivers Secretariat

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A section of the Rivers State Secretariat was on Monday evening gutted by fire, leaving parts of the complex damaged before it was brought under control.

The fire, which reportedly started a few minutes past 5 p.m., was contained through the swift response of the Rivers State Fire Service.

Eyewitnesses said the blaze spread rapidly before firefighters arrived at the scene to extinguish it, preventing further damage to nearby offices.

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READ ALSO:BREAKING: Tinubu Ends State Of Emergency In Rivers

Although the cause of the fire has not been officially confirmed, preliminary reports suggest that an electrical fault may have triggered the incident.

The Rivers State Head of Service, Inyingi Brown, also attributed the outbreak to an electrical fault, urging workers to ensure that all electrical appliances are switched off before leaving the office.

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An unconfirmed source indicated that the fire may have affected the state Pension Commission, though the extent of the damage remains unclear.

Authorities are yet to release an official statement on the full impact of the incident as investigations continue.

 

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18-year-old Hangs Self, Police Launch Investigation

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The Benue State Police Command has confirmed the death of an 18-year-old identified as Tersoo Veregh, who allegedly took his own life in Makurdi, the state capital.

According to Zagazola Makama, the deceased’s father, Mr. Veregh Nathaniel, of Iorkyaako Street, High Level area of Makurdi, made the tragic discovery around 2:00 a.m. on October 4, when he stepped out of his room to ease himself and found his son hanging from the ceiling.

READ ALSO:How Becoming Bank Manager At 27 Changed My Life, Tony Elumelu Urges Trust In Africa’s Youths

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Following the report, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of ‘B’ Division, Makurdi, led a team of detectives to the scene. The body was photographed and later taken to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital mortuary.

Police authorities said an investigation has commenced to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

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Metro

Police Intercept Illicit Drugs, Recover Pistols In Delta

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The Delta State Police Command has intercepted a truck loaded with large quantities of suspected illicit drugs.

The truck, with registration number 3BGT 18LG, driven by one Dennis Uruma, a 52-year-old man from Igalamela Local Government Area of Kogi State, was intercepted by a patrol team of the Eagle Net Special Squad, Asaba, led by Commander SP Danyaya Yunusa.

The operation was conducted in synergy with the Office of the Executive Assistant to the Delta State Governor on Illicit Drugs and Human Trafficking.

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READ ALSO:NDLEA Intercepts 174 Parcels Of Cocaine Hidden In Body Cream Containers

The driver was arrested after the search, while the counting and measurement of the exhibits are ongoing.

In another development, on October 3, 2025, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, led by Commander CSP Nosa Alex, acting on credible intelligence, conducted a targeted raid on a suspected criminal hideout around the Basket Market area of Asaba.

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During the operation, three suspects, Rabbi Godwin, 25, Lucky Nanakumo, 20, and David Igwe, 19, were arrested.

A search of the location yielded one fabricated Beretta pistol, which was recovered and secured as evidence.

READ ALSO:Ogoni Women Protest Resumption Of Oil Production, Demand Accountability In $1Bn Cleanup Funds

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Again, on October 1, 2025, the DPO ‘B’ Division, Asaba, CSP Edewor Akponegware, led his surveillance team in a swift response to a distress report about a robbery incident around the BONSAAC axis of Asaba, where a female victim was dispossessed of her phone and other valuables at gunpoint by two male suspects.

Working with local vigilantes, the team established a discreet cordon and began a methodical sweep of adjoining streets.

The coordinated push paid off when officers intercepted one suspect, Amara Nwako, 21, a male indigene of Oko, while his accomplice fled into an uncompleted building.

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A locally made pistol was recovered during a search of the immediate vicinity. Preliminary findings revealed a possible cult affiliation linking the suspect to a certain Arobaga secret cult.

According to Bright Edafe, the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, all the suspects remain in custody, while a manhunt is underway for the fleeing accomplice.

(DAILY POST)

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