The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, has rescued 15 minors who were allegedly trafficked and sold for N2 million each after a member of a suspected syndicate reportedly posed as an official of a civil society organisation to deceive their parents.
The NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi, disclosed the development on Friday during a news briefing at the corps’ headquarters in Abuja. He said the children were taken from parents in Kama Madaki and Gudindi Mada communities in Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State under the guise of providing them with free education.
According to Afolabi, the suspect allegedly presented himself to the parents as an official of the National Council of Child Rights Advocate and used the identity to gain their trust before taking custody of the children.
“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.
Intelligence Operation Leads to Rescue
The rescue operation was carried out by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad, CG’s SIS, headed by Commander Dandaura Appollos, following intelligence gathered on the movement and whereabouts of the trafficked children.
Afolabi said 15 of the 16 children allegedly trafficked from the two communities were eventually located and rescued from individuals who had acquired them.
He said the operation required intelligence gathering, field tracking and coordinated tactical activities across several states as the security operatives worked to identify and reach the alleged buyers.
“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,” he said.
According to the NSCDC spokesperson, three of the children were rescued separately in Anambra, Imo and Enugu states, while the remaining 12 were recovered through a coordinated operation along eastern transit routes.
The operation therefore extended beyond the communities where the children were initially taken, with the intelligence team tracing individuals allegedly connected to the movement and acquisition of the minors.
Three Suspected Buyers Arrested
The NSCDC said the investigation has also resulted in the arrest of three people allegedly connected to the trafficking case.
Afolabi identified those apprehended as one male and two females who were described as buyers in connection with the case. They are currently being investigated as the corps works to establish the circumstances surrounding the trafficking and the roles allegedly played by those involved.
The NSCDC spokesperson said the investigation would continue until the corps establishes the facts of the case and determines the culpability of the suspects.
He stressed that the NSCDC maintains a zero-tolerance position towards criminal activities, including human trafficking, particularly cases involving children.
NSCDC Promises Prosecution
Afolabi said the corps would ensure that suspects found culpable after the completion of the investigation face prosecution.
The statement comes as the NSCDC continues its investigation into how the children were allegedly obtained from their parents, how they were moved across different locations and the circumstances under which they were allegedly sold.
The corps said its intelligence operation had successfully recovered 15 of the 16 children linked to the case, while efforts connected to the investigation remain ongoing.
The alleged use of a purported NGO and orphanage programme to persuade disadvantaged parents to surrender their children has also become a central part of the investigation, according to the NSCDC.
Afolabi said the corps would pursue the matter to its conclusion and prosecute all suspects established to have committed offences after the investigation.
The NSCDC maintained that its position against human trafficking and other forms of criminality remains firm, while the rescued children have been removed from the custody of the alleged buyers following the intelligence-led operation.
