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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has explained what transpired between its operatives and Christopher Ogugua, an operator of an orphanage in Asaba, Delta State.
Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, told journalists at a press conference in Abuja at the weekend that the explanation became necessary following some misrepresentation of the incident in some sections of the media, resulting in some uninformed comments from the public.
She noted that NAPTIP, being an agency of the government, owes the public and the Government a responsibility to account for its actions, hence the press conference to clarify and explain to the public everything about its operation in Asaba, bearing in mind that it has a mandate as enshrined in the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015 as a law enforcement agency dealing with all issues of trafficking in persons and violence against persons and with zero tolerance for unethical practices.
She explained: “On 16th December 2022, the Protection Against Abduction And Missing Children (PATAMOC) headed by Comrade Ismail Ibrahim Mohammed wrote a petition to the Director General, NAPTIP entitled: ‘Demand for Justice and Address the Child Abduction in Kano State and Nigeria’.
“Based on that petition, the Kano Zonal Command was directed to gather intelligence on the issues contained therein. In the course of their activities, they received an intelligence that one Hauwa Abubakar, a resident of Gombe State was arrested by the Police for being in possession of some stolen children from various locations within Gombe State.
“On further investigation, she (Hauwa) admitted to selling 21 other children to one Nkechi Odlyne, who in turn allegedly sold seven of the children to one Christopher Ogugua Nwoye, the operator of Happy Home Children Orphanage, Asaba, Delta State, at the sum of N450,000 each.
“Mr Ogugua was subsequently arrested in Gombe State, and upon interrogation, he admitted the crime and subsequently returned four children. Ogugua, Hauwa, and Nkechi are currently undergoing prosecution at the High Court 1 Gombe State. While the two women are in prison custody, Mr Ogugua perfected his bail and was allowed to attend court sessions in Gombe.
“Out of the four children returned, three were identified by their biological parents as indigenes of Gombe State. Photos of the remaining child were forwarded to the PATAMOC National Chairman, who subsequently circulated the child’s photos on the Association’s WhatsApp platform for identification.
“A woman in Kano identified the child as her missing child, and that her name is Aisha Buhari. But before she could identify the child, she had already been returned to the Happy Home orphanage in Asaba where she was brought from.
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“This situation was therefore reported to NAPTIP which was already supporting the Kano State Government in searching for the over 600 of its missing children as a member of the Commission of Inquiry Into the cases of missing children in Kano State from year 2010-2019, as well as a member of the implementation committee on the report of the commission of inquiry into cases of missing children in Kano State.
“Based on the report and the need to rescue Aisha Buhari from the Happy Home Orphanage, the Agency, on 12th June 2025 dispatched some of its operatives from the Abuja Headquarters and the Kano Zonal Command to Asaba, to rescue the girl. The NAPTIP team was accompanied by the Kano State Chairman of PATAMOC, who could identify Aisha, and also was in possession of pictures on several missing children from Kano.
“At the orphanage, the operator was away, and the wife could not reach him. A profiling of the over 70 children found there was done, and the PATAMOC chairman was able to identify Aisha and 7 others whom he had their photographs. No arrest was made there as the wife was the only adult available at the time, and taking her away would cause problems within the facility as a result of the large number of children there, including toddlers.
“All attempts made to get the operator to make himself available failed. Rather, he engaged in blackmail against the Agency. He was also organising women to lay claims to the children who are now in the Agency’s shelter. We have vowed not to hand over any of the children to any of the claimants until investigations, which includes DNA, are concluded.
“It is also important to restate that the rescue operation by NAPTIP operatives at Happy Home Orphanage was not an abduction, as the Agency does not engage in such condemnable action, but a lawful undertaking under the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015, which empowers NAPTIP to investigate, rescue, and prosecute cases of trafficking, abduction, and related offences.”
She called on all those laying claims to the children to make themselves available to the agency for further investigations, insisting that running around on social media and dragging the agency through blackmail will not help anyone. “We are not for or against anyone making claims over the children, but they should make themselves available for better investigation.
“NAPTIP is a law-abiding agency that believes in the rule of law in its activities. However, we will also not spare anyone found culpable in this matter. We are also calling on the Delta State Government to carry out a thorough investigation on the activities of the Happy Home Orphanage to unravel the unwholesome practices going on there as also admitted by the Commissioner for Women Affairs of the State.”
She insisted that NAPTIP remains resolute in expeditiously concluding investigations on the matter, prosecuting whosoever is culpable and reuniting the rescued children with their lawful families.
