The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has rescued 15 minors who were allegedly trafficked from Nasarawa State and sold to suspected buyers for about ₦2 million each.
The NSCDC said the children were taken from Kama Madaki and Gudindi Mada communities in Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State after a suspected member of a human trafficking syndicate allegedly posed as an official of the National Council of Child Rights Advocates.
According to the corps, the suspect operated under the guise of running an NGO and orphanage initiative known as the Back to School Project, allegedly luring vulnerable parents with promises of free education for their children.
NSCDC spokesperson, Babawale Afolabi, disclosed this during a briefing at the corps’ headquarters in Abuja on Friday.
He said the suspect allegedly collected 16 children from the two communities, with 15 subsequently traced and rescued from their alleged buyers by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad, led by Commander Dandaura Appollos.
Afolabi said the rescue operation involved field tracking, technical intelligence and coordinated tactical operations across several states.
Three of the children were rescued in Anambra, Imo and Enugu states, while the remaining 12 were recovered during coordinated operations along eastern transit routes.
The NSCDC also disclosed that three suspected buyers — one man and two women — had been arrested in connection with the case.
The corps said investigations are ongoing and that anyone found culpable would be prosecuted upon completion of the investigation.
The NSCDC urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspected cases of child trafficking to the appropriate security agencies.
