Security
Woman Who Sold Over 120 Children Under Prosecution – NAPTIP
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons (NAPTIP) has disclosed that a woman who has sold over 120 Children has been arrested and is now facing prosecution.
This is coming just as the agency has also disclosed that in it’s 20 years of existence, it has no tracking machine.
The Director-General of NAPTIP, Prof Fatima Waziri-Azi stated this when she appeared before the Senate Committee on Special Duties.
According to Fatima, apart from the prosecution of the woman whose name she couldn’t disclose, said they are also investigating a lot of fake orphanages and those who fake documents to run organizations they are using to traffick children.
“We are currently prosecuting a woman who has sold over 120 children. Young girls are lured into baby making machines where they are camped in houses and they sleep with different men,” Fatima said, adding that Human traffickers have capitalized on the japa syndrome and are now exploiting Nigerians.
“We have 32 offices in the country. We don’t have offices in Kogi, Niger and Bauchi State and we spent a lot from our shelters.
“We feed the victims, cloth them, provide support, trace their families and also help in repatriation,” Fatima said, adding that 20,200 victims have received support.
According to Fatima, there are a lot of rescued victims in Lagos, Katsina, Kano and Abuja with Benue having the highest number of rescued victims.
Fatima said NAPTIP has secured 639 convictions in 20 years adding that in 2021 alone, they received 1,232 human trafficking complaints.
“Every State in Nigeria is faced with trafficking especially Jigawa, Kano, Katsina. Before it was Edo state,” Fatima said, adding that they have always relied on donors to fund their activities, which is inadequate. We are supporting 32 victims in school, additional 21 in university.
“We existed for 20 years, but we don’t have a tracking device. We rely on Interpol, DSS for the machines we use in tracking,” Fatima added.
On the cases of baby factories, Fatima said the issue is so pervasive adding that just this year alone, in collaboration with the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Navy, they combed a number of baby factories.
“I know we did one in Anambra, we did another one in Rivers State. But they pop up everywhere and they are predominant in mostly the South-South part and South-East part of Nigeria. Currently, we are prosecuting a woman who sold about a hundred and forty-something children in two years. We also are working with a group of parents whose children were stolen from different communities in Nasarawa State.
“Some of these children we are still working on recovering them. In fact, there’s a young boy, he’s called Daniel. Daniel should be three years old now. He was rescued, I think, probably at the end of 2021 or the beginning of 2022, I don’t remember. And when he was rescued, two families came up and said, this little child was their child, and we were forced to conduct a DNA test, and none of it matched at our shelter.
“These are the kind of cases that we see every day. We are currently investigating a lot of fake orphanages, a lot of people who go and forge documents and deceive people who really want to adopt children. So this is a situation that we are aware of and this is a situation that we know as an agency we can tackle on our own, which is why we are working with the Nigerian Armed Forces, DSS, and the police. We are collaborating with everyone because even though under the Trafficking in Persons Act, it does not categorically provide for baby factories, but we have a crime against buying and selling of children. And of course, baby factories fit in nicely into that and sometimes people just think that people leave their children on the streets and probably maybe they get stolen or young girls decide to be baby-making machines.
“We have a situation where young girls are lured under the guise of being offered a job. When you go there, they of course take your phones, they lock you up in a room and consistently different men come every day to rape you until you get pregnant. And once you give birth, they take that child. Just very recently, a few months ago, we got information of a Nigerian woman who was living in Jabi Park. She was living in a box and this is a woman who was completely out of her mind. Even though sometimes the brief interaction that we had with her, she has lucid intervals but largely most times in the day, you know, she’s completely out of her mind.
“At the time she was rescued, she was six months pregnant and that was her third pregnancy. So what happens is at night different men come
they sleep with her, she gets pregnant, and once she gives birth, they take the child away. So we’re able to locate her family in Cross River or Akwa Ibom and she was reunited with her family. For years, her family didn’t even know where she was. So these are the kind of things that we see,” Fatima added.
Orji Kalu, the senator representing Abia north, says the federal government should urgently address the growing insecurity in many parts of the country.
In a video posted from China on his social media page on Monday, Kalu warned that terrorists may overrun the south-east region and Borno if no action is taken.
The senator said the worsening security situation requires decisive intervention devoid of politics.
Kalu, who chairs the senate committee on South East Development Commission (SEDC), urged the federal government to commit more resources to security agencies to confront the threat.
He warned that insecurity in Nigeria is no longer a matter of political argument but a dire national crisis.
The senator was reacting to a recent warning by Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno, who said insurgents have regained control of parts of the state.
Kalu said the situation in Borno mirrors the growing threat in the south-east and called for immediate intervention to prevent a total collapse.
“I want to believe Professor Zulum that the security situation is deteriorating every day, so we need to step up, especially in the south-east,” the lawmaker said.
“Our south-east governors are doing their best to fight insurgency. I would like the federal government to step up security in the south-east because it’s a gateway for people transporting goods from the ports and refineries.”
Kalu also faulted the ongoing disagreement between Zulum and Mohammed Idris, minister of information, over the state of security, insisting the president must be told the truth.
“For me, Professor Zulum and the minister don’t need to argue. These are fundamental issues. If we don’t tell President Tinubu the truth, the place will be ungovernable,” he said.
“So, it is better we tell him the truth on the condition of the insecurity situation in Nigeria.”
He commended the efforts of the armed forces and other security agencies, noting that they have shown commitment in the face of limited resources.
“Our Nigerian Army has been doing their best, and I congratulate them — especially the chief of army staff, the inspector-general of police, and other security chiefs — for all the efforts they have been putting in,” he said.
Kalu urged the federal government to channel more funds, equipment, and attention to Borno and the south-east.
“We cannot play politics with insecurity; we should take the art of governance very seriously,” he said.
The senator advised the minister of information to consult security chiefs before issuing public statements on security matters.
“No governor or president wants his people to die, so I urge the minister of information to step down some of the statements he is making about insecurity and should also consult the chief of army staff and the inspector-general of police,” he said.
“The national security adviser has also been on top of his game, but people should stop making statements without consulting the security agencies.”
Kalu expressed confidence in the security leadership, particularly the Department of State Services (DSS), and called on Nigerians to support President Bola Tinubu in tackling insecurity and rebuilding the economy.
“The DSS will continue to provide information. I believe Tosin is very capable — he is a young lad who is capable,” he said.
“We can rid all these criminals away and build our economy to be strong. Let us stop politics and concentrate on the economy of Nigeria.
“President Tinubu has done his best; let’s support him to build our economy together.”
Zulum recently expressed concerns over the resurgence of Boko Haram attacks and kidnappings across the state.
He spoke on April 8 at a security meeting attended by military commanders, traditional rulers, and other stakeholders.
On Sunday, Mohammed Monguno, senator representing Borno north, said any government that fails to guarantee the safety of its citizens does not deserve to remain in power.
Speaking in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno, after a security meeting, Monguno, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said security is the fundamental purpose of government.
The explosion followed an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Boko Haram terrorists on the dilapidated and deserted road which passes through the Sambisa forest.
According to several sources, the explosion happened while cars on a scheduled military-escorted convoy were transporting passengers from Damboa to Maiduguri on Saturday leaving several others with varying degrees of injuries.
The Maiduguri-Damboa Road links Maiduguri to several local government areas in Southern Borno and has been a hotspot for Boko Haram terrorists for over a decade.
The road was closed to vehicles and commuters until the administration of Babagana Zulum opened the road for passengers to travel to Damboa, Chibok and other LGAs in southern Borno with the help of a military convoy serving as security cover for the commuters.
The convoy traverses the road two times a week after scanning for IED by the military and this has been going on for over two years now.
The injured persons whose numbers are yet to be specified have been conveyed to a hospital in Maiduguri for prompt medical attention.
A student of the Federal University Birnin Kebbi (FUBK) has been abducted by unidentified gunmen following an off-campus hostel attack.
Channels reports that the incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday at Istijaba Villa in Unguwar Jeji area of the state.
Witness accounts said five armed men entered the hostel to demand money from students who were taking a walk outside.
But the students refused to give in to their demands, which led to an assault from the attackers.
A resident, who was said to have attempted intervention, was shot dead while a final-year student of economics, simply identified as Madubiya, was whisked away by the assailants.
Responding to the incident, Muhammad Zaiyan-Umar, the vice-chancellor of FUBK, visited the scene in the company of the officers from the Kalgo police division and Department of State Services (DSS).
Addressing the students, Zaiyan-Umar said the university is committed to ensuring their safety and security.
It is understood that the VC has communicated the incident to Nasir Idris, the governor of Kebbi state, through the secretary to the state government and the director of security services at the cabinet office.
As of this reporting, the Kebbi state police command has yet to respond to enquiries about the incident.
In 2021, rumours soared of a planned attack by bandits after a heavy security presence was observed on campus.
At the time, the management of FUBK dismissed the claims.