The suspect allegedly posed as a child rights advocate running a “Back to School Project” to convince parents to hand over their children.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says it has rescued 15 minors allegedly trafficked and sold for N2 million each in Nasarawa State, by a suspect posing as an official of a child welfare organisation.
NSCDC spokesperson Babawale Afolabi disclosed the rescue during a press briefing at the corps’ headquarters in Abuja on Friday, saying the suspect posed as an official of the National Council of Child Rights Advocates to deceive parents into releasing their children.
How the alleged scheme worked
Afolabi said the suspect allegedly ran a fake NGO and orphanage programme called the “Back to School Project,” convincing less privileged parents to hand over their children with promises of free education.
“Under the guise of operating an NGO and orphanage programme called the Back to School Project, he lured willing, less privileged parents into releasing their children with promises of free education,” Afolabi said.
According to Afolabi, 16 children were allegedly trafficked from the Kama Madaki and Gudindi Mada communities in Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, with 15 subsequently traced and rescued from their alleged buyers.
How the rescue operation unfolded
The rescue was carried out by the Commandant-General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’s SIS), led by Commander Dandaura Appollos, using field tracking and technical intelligence to trace buyers across multiple states.
“Through advanced field tracking, technical intelligence and multi-state tactical sweeps, operatives of the CG’s SIS tracked down the buyers who were from different locations in the country,” Afolabi said.
Three of the children were rescued in Anambra, Imo and Enugu states respectively, while the remaining 12 were recovered during a coordinated operation along eastern transit routes.
Afolabi said three suspected buyers, one man and two women, had been arrested in connection with the case, alongside the original suspect accused of orchestrating the scheme.
NSCDC’s response and next steps
Afolabi said the corps maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards crime and human trafficking, and that all suspects found culpable would be prosecuted once investigations are complete.
He urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspected cases of child trafficking to the appropriate security agencies.
The case adds to a pattern of child trafficking operations disguised as charitable or educational initiatives that Nigerian anti-trafficking agencies have flagged in recent years, with orphanages and informal welfare programmes repeatedly identified as fronts exploited by trafficking networks targeting vulnerable families.
