The Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Binta Bello, has dismissed claims that the agency’s operatives abducted children during a June operation in Asaba, Delta State, insisting the mission was a lawful rescue exercise.
Speaking at a media briefing at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja, Bello explained that the operation led to the rescue of eight children allegedly stolen from Kano State.
She said negative narratives, especially on social media, had misrepresented the intervention as an abduction carried out by NAPTIP.
The NAPTIP boss explained that the case originated from a petition received in December 2022 from the Protection Against Abduction and Missing Children (PATAMOC), which raised the alarm over child abductions in Kano State.
Investigations revealed that one Hauwa Abubakar of Gombe State was arrested by police for having stolen children. Hauwa allegedly admitted to selling 21 children to one Nkechi Odlyne, who in turn sold seven of them to Christopher Ogugua Nwoye, Proprietor of Happy Home Orphanage in Asaba, at ₦450,000 each.
Bello disclosed that three of the four children recovered were identified by their biological parents in Gombe, while the fourth child, identified through photos circulated by PATAMOC, was claimed by a Kano mother as her missing daughter, Aisha Buhari.
To rescue the girl, Bello said, NAPTIP deployed operatives to Asaba on June 12, 2025, in collaboration with PATAMOC and the Kano State Parents’ Association of Missing Children.
“The main aim of this briefing is to clarify some issues that have found their way into the media space, especially on social media in recent weeks, about an operation carried out by our operatives in Asaba, Delta State, in June this year, leading to the rescue of eight children allegedly stolen from Kano State,” she said.
“That operation has led to negative narratives by various persons, including those commenting innocently based on the skewed stories of the suspect, who has made himself unavailable to the Agency for proper investigation despite invitations through phone calls and through his lawyers.”
She added that Christopher Ogugua was subsequently arrested in Gombe State and, upon interrogation, admitted the crime and returned four children. He, alongside Hauwa Abubakar and Nkechi Odlyne, is currently facing prosecution at the High Court 1, Gombe State. While the two women remain in prison custody, Mr Nwoye perfected his bail and is attending court sessions.
For a smooth operation, Bello said, a letter was sent to the Delta State Commissioner of Police the same day, requesting support. In response, a signal was issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Police on 13 July directing the Area Commander, Asaba, and the Divisional Police Officer, B Division, to assist.
She explained that armed police officers accompanied the NAPTIP team to the orphanage, where over 70 children were profiled. Eight were positively identified through photographs, including Aisha Buhari.
“No arrest was made there as the wife was the only adult available at the time, and taking her away would have caused problems within the facility, given the large number of children, including toddlers,” she said.
Bello revealed that attempts to get the proprietor to present himself for questioning had failed. Instead, he allegedly resorted to blackmail and mobilised women to lay claim to the rescued children.
She confirmed that the children are now in NAPTIP’s protective shelter while investigations, including DNA testing, continue.
“Be assured that the Agency will not hand over any of the children to any of the claimants until investigations, which include DNA tests, are concluded,” she stated.
