Hot Source. Police Burst Baby Factory, Kidnapping Rings in Ondo
Michael Olugbode in Abuja and Fidelis David in Akure
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has arrested a 60 years old prominent member of the orphanage owners umbrella body in Nigeria and founder of an internationally recognised civil society organisation, National Council of Child’s Right Advocates of Nigeria (NACRAN), based in Benue State, (name withed), in connection with an alleged large-scale case of child trafficking, child sale, and illegal adoption.
In a similar development, operatives of the Ondo State Police Command have uncovered a baby factory and human trafficking syndicate in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area, and arrested members of a notorious kidnapping gang terrorising travelers along major highways in the South-west.
A statement by the National Press Officer of NAPTIP, Vincent Adekoye, yesterday read: “In a major breakthrough led by operatives of the agency, Markudi Command, the agency rescued 26 children, out of the over 300 suspected to have been trafficked and sold to different persons within Benue, Enugu, Lagos, Nasarawa, and Abuja, while about 274 others are still being traced, as investigations intensify to unravel the full extent of the syndicate’s activities.”
He said also arrested with the suspect is a suspected 34-year-old female accomplice, and two other orphanage operators in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and Nasarawa State, where some allegedly trafficked children were recovered.
The sad development came a few weeks after the Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Bello, expressed concern over the unwholesome activities of some operators of orphanages in Nigeria and called on the various state ministries of Women Affairs to beam searchlights on the centres to checkmate their operations.
He said the latest operation by the agency was a continuation of the renewed crackdown on orphanages and care homes across the country ordered by the DG of NAPTIP following a series of reported cases of alleged infractions and illegal activities by the operators of the orphanages.
He revealed that the detail of the case indicates that on 1st May 2025, a complaint was lodged by a man who reported that his four-year-old son was given out by his mother-in-law to an NGO without his consent. When he demanded the return of his child, he was told he could only see him after three years.
He noted that this prompted a petition to NAPTIP, leading to the arrest of several suspects and the uncovering of a wider network involved in trafficking and illegal adoption of children.
He said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects feasted on the vulnerability of the rural communities in Benue State through a voodoo initiative called “Back to School Project” to recruit children from crisis-ridden communities in Guma Local Government Area, especially in areas affected by farmer–herder conflicts such as Daudu, Yelwata, and, and trafficked them to Abuja, Nasarawa, Enugu, and Lagos States.
He revealed that the suspects organised meetings with villagers and traditional leaders, convincing them that the project would sponsor children’s education. Parents were deceived into signing consent forms or verbally agreeing to release their children, with promises that they would see them again after three years, adding that over 300 children were reportedly handed over to the suspects. Some parents were unaware or did not sign any consent forms.
He said the children, aged between one and 13 years, were transported to orphanage homes in Abuja and Nasarawa States, where they were allegedly sold to interested couples under the guise of adoption, for amounts ranging from N1 million to N3 million per child.
He revealed that some of the orphanages identified were used as holding centres where children awaited “adoption” or sale, include four orphanage homes located at Kaigini, Kubuwa Expressway, Abuja; Masaka Area 1, Mararaba, by Abaca Road; and Mararaba, behind the International Market, have been linked to the syndicate and are currently under investigation.
He said one complainant alleged that he paid N2.8 million as an adoption fee and N100,000 consultancy fee to a member of the syndicate.
He alleged the identities of many rescued children had been changed, complicating tracing efforts.
Speaking on the development, the DG of NAPTIP, Bello, described the situation as unbelievable and mind-bugling.
She said: “Arising from the case at hand, I wish to say that issues of child trafficking and adoption are becoming a national crisis that requires urgent attention from all relevant stakeholders.
“A few weeks ago, based on credible intelligence, I expressed concern and alerted the State Ministries of Women Affairs on the unpatriotic and illegal activities of some Orphanage Operators across the Country.
“It is painful that some unpatriotic elements with recognised entities and status, now use their social class to deceive the already vulnerable people in the crisis-prone communities, traffic their children, most of whom narrowly escape death in the wake of communal or farmer–herder clashes, and sell them to challenge parents in the name of adoption without the valid legal consent of the parents.
“This is unacceptable, and those already arrested in connection with this wicked act shall be made to face the full wrath of the law.
“Our children are not commodities to be displayed in Orphanages and sold at will to the highest bidders. This must stop.”
Meanwhile, operatives of the Ondo State Police Command have uncovered a baby factory and human trafficking syndicate in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area, and arrested members of a notorious kidnapping gang terrorising travelers along major highways in the South-west.
In the first operation, a swift response from the Police followed the escape and report of a 17-year-old girl, Vivian Peter, who revealed that she had been trafficked from Akwa Ibom State to Ore under the pretext of a job offer but on arrival, she was taken to what appeared to be a clinic but later turned out to be a baby factory where several pregnant girls were allegedly held for exploitation.
A statement issued yesterday by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Ayanlade Olusola, revealed that the girl managed to escape after being instructed to undergo a medical scan at another hospital where she swiftly ran to the Ore Division and narrated her ordeal to operatives.
“However, acting on her tip-off, detectives from the Ore Division and the Command’s Gender-Based Violence Unit stormed the facility, rescuing five pregnant girls and a baby boy. One of the victims was discovered to have already delivered and is currently receiving treatment at the General Hospital, Ore.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the operator of the facility, one Ada Clement and her accomplices, allegedly used the centre as a baby factory, where pregnant teenagers were confined until delivery. The babies were reportedly sold for N400,000 and above for girls and N600,000 and above for boys.”
He said the State Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, has ordered a discreet and comprehensive investigation into the syndicate’s activities and directed that all fleeing members be tracked and brought to justice.
In a related development, operatives of the State Command also recorded another success with the arrest of a 20-year-old suspect, Abdullahi Ibrahim, believed to be a member of a notorious kidnapping gang responsible for several abductions along the Benin–Ore Expressway.
“The suspect was apprehended in Ore following credible intelligence linking him to multiple kidnap-for-ransom operations across the South-west. During interrogation, he confessed to being part of a gang operating across Ondo, Edo, and Lagos States, using forested routes to evade security surveillance.”
He noted that his confession led the State Anti-Kidnapping Section (SAKS), Akure, to Benin City, where two additional suspects were arrested, stressing that investigations are ongoing to apprehend other members still at large.
Commending the operatives for their diligence and professionalism, CP Lawal assured residents that the Police would sustain aggressive intelligence-led operations to dismantle criminal networks across the state.
He urged citizens to remain calm, law-abiding, and vigilant, while reaffirming the Command’s readiness to protect lives and property. “Ondo State will continue to remain unsafe for criminals but secure for law-abiding residents,” the CP assured.
