A chilling child-trafficking operation has been uncovered, with security operatives rescuing 15 minors allegedly sold for ₦2 million each after their parents were lured by promises of free education.
The children, from Kama Madaki and Gudindi Mada communities in Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, were allegedly taken from their families by a man posing as an official of the National Council of Child Rights Advocate.
According to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the suspect allegedly operated under the cover of a supposed NGO and orphanage initiative known as the “Back to School Project.”
With promises of free education and a brighter future, vulnerable parents reportedly handed over their children—only for the minors to allegedly end up in the hands of buyers across different parts of the country.
The operation took a dramatic turn when operatives of the NSCDC Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad launched an intelligence-driven hunt for the children and their alleged buyers.
After tracking the trail across several states, operatives rescued three children in Anambra, Imo and Enugu, while 12 others were recovered in a coordinated operation along eastern transit routes.
One of the 16 children initially reported missing remains unaccounted for.
The NSCDC said three alleged buyers—one man and two women—have been arrested in connection with the trafficking operation.
The corps said the rescue followed the use of field tracking, technical intelligence and coordinated tactical operations across multiple states.
NSCDC spokesman Babawale Afolabi said the corps would leave no stone unturned in bringing those behind the alleged trafficking network to justice.
He warned that the organisation maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward human trafficking and other crimes, adding that suspects found culpable after the investigation would be prosecuted.
For the rescued children, the operation has brought an end—at least for now—to a terrifying journey that allegedly began with a simple promise: free education.
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