The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued eight children allegedly abducted from Kano and other northern states and trafficked to the South–South and South–East regions by an interstate child trafficking syndicate.

The children, aged between two and 10, were reportedly discovered in a privately run orphanage managed by a senior member of the Association of Orphanage Operators in Nigeria.

According to NAPTIP, over 70 children — including 15 infants — were found at the facility, but only eight were confirmed as missing children from Kano.

The rescue operation was carried out in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS) in Anambra, the Nigeria Police in Delta State, the Kano State Ministry of Women Affairs, civil society groups, and the parents of the missing children.

Speaking on the development, NAPTIP’s Director-General, Dr. Binta Bello, condemned the “unwholesome activities” of some orphanages across the country.

She explained that the breakthrough came after years of complaints from parents in Kano and nearby states, who, since 2017, had raised alarms over syndicates abducting children from schools, markets, and communities.

Bello also recalled that in December 2022, a Kano-based NGO, Protection Against the Abduction and Missing of Our Children (PATAMOOC), petitioned the agency on behalf of more than 200 affected parents.

“We, the parents, are in deep agony. Some have been hospitalised, while others have died from the trauma of losing their children and the endless wait for news — not knowing whether they will be found dead or alive,” she said.