The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued more than 180 children allegedly trafficked across Kaduna, Anambra and three other states.

According to Channels Television, the agency said suspected trafficking syndicates have begun disguising themselves as members of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), using educational support and back-to-school programmes to lure children from vulnerable families.

The latest operation led to the recovery of three children allegedly trafficked from Kajuru in Kaduna State. The children were found in a high-rise private building in a desirable area of Onitsha, Anambra State.

Another child was also recovered from the care of a clinical staff member at the Federal Medical Centre, Onitsha.

NAPTIP said the recoveries followed the establishment of a Special Squad within its Investigation and Monitoring Department several months ago, after reports of missing children increased across the country.

The agency said the first batch of recovered children were taken from communities in Benue and Nasarawa states and subsequently distributed to orphanages in Abuja and other states.

According to NAPTIP, the children were allegedly sold to unidentified individuals under the guise of adoption after substantial sums of money had been paid.

One father whose son was recovered said the child was taken three years ago after gunmen invaded his community in Kajuru and displaced residents.

He said people who claimed to operate an NGO approached affected families and offered to take their children to cities for better education.

The father agreed to the arrangement but later lost contact with his son. He eventually identified the child among pictures of rescued children published on NAPTIP’s Facebook page.

The boy, who was three years old when he was taken, is now six.

The father said he was happy to find his son alive but was saddened by his condition, alleging that the child appeared unkempt and may have been used as a house help.

NAPTIP also said a nurse at the Federal Medical Centre, Onitsha, confessed to obtaining one of the trafficked children from a prominent orphanage in Abuja in 2023 after paying ₦771,000.

Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, expressed concern over the alleged involvement of criminal elements operating under the cover of legitimate civil society organisations.

Bello urged the umbrella body of CSOs in Nigeria to conduct an internal review and identify individuals suspected of involvement in child trafficking.

She said NAPTIP had commenced a manhunt for people implicated in its investigations and would ensure that those found culpable face the law.