The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has raised concerns over the activities of suspected criminal groups allegedly using the identities and platforms of civil society organisations (CSOs) to gain access to vulnerable families and traffic children.
The agency said the suspected traffickers are increasingly targeting communities affected by insecurity, displacement and other crises, where they present themselves as representatives of non-governmental or humanitarian organisations offering educational assistance and support to children.
NAPTIP’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Vincent Adekoye, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during a joint briefing by security agencies. He said some of the suspects allegedly approach distressed families with promises to take their children to cities for education through purported “back-to-school” programmes, only to traffic the children.
According to NAPTIP, more than 180 children have been rescued from suspected trafficking networks operating across five states. The agency said the criminal groups allegedly presented themselves as CSOs while exploiting the trust placed in legitimate humanitarian organisations.
One of the recent operations led to the recovery of three children allegedly taken from Kajuru in Kaduna State and found in a private high-rise building in Onitsha, Anambra State. Another child was recovered from the custody of a nurse at the Federal Medical Centre, Onitsha.
NAPTIP said investigations showed that some of the children rescued in earlier operations had been taken from communities in Benue and Nasarawa states and moved to orphanages in Abuja and other locations. Some were allegedly later sold to individuals under the guise of adoption.
The agency's Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, expressed concern that criminal elements were exploiting the credibility of genuine CSOs to gain the confidence of vulnerable communities.
Bello urged the umbrella body of civil society organisations in Nigeria, particularly those involved in humanitarian and anti-trafficking activities, to conduct an internal review and expose individuals suspected of using legitimate organisations as a cover for criminal activities.
She stressed that the warning was not directed at genuine civil society organisations, many of which work with government agencies in protecting vulnerable people and combating human trafficking.
NAPTIP said the suspected traffickers appear to be taking advantage of communities already weakened by armed attacks and displacement. By offering education, accommodation and other assistance, they allegedly persuade parents to release their children into their care.
One father whose son was recently rescued told the agency that his three-year-old child was taken from Kajuru after armed attacks displaced families in the community. People who claimed to operate an NGO allegedly offered to take the children to the city for proper education.
The father said he later lost contact with the people who took his son and eventually discovered the child's photograph on NAPTIP's social media page after the agency rescued him. The boy, now six years old, was subsequently reunited with his family.
In another case, NAPTIP said a nurse at the Federal Medical Centre, Onitsha, admitted obtaining one of the rescued children from an orphanage in Abuja in 2023 after allegedly paying ₦771,000.
The agency has established a Special Squad within its Investigation and Monitoring Department to trace missing and trafficked children and identify those responsible for their disappearance.
NAPTIP said investigations are continuing, while efforts are underway to locate other members of the suspected trafficking networks and ensure that those found culpable face prosecution.
The agency urged parents, particularly those living in communities affected by insecurity, to carefully verify organisations offering to take their children away for education, accommodation or other forms of assistance.
It also called on legitimate CSOs to strengthen their internal monitoring and reporting mechanisms to prevent criminals from exploiting their names and community relationships.
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