By Isaac Mission
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has rescued 15 minors who were allegedly trafficked and sold to buyers for N2 million each across several states.
The victims were reportedly taken from Kama Madaki and Gudindi Mada communities in Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State after their parents were deceived by a suspected member of a child trafficking syndicate.
The NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi, disclosed the development during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday.
According to Afolabi, the suspect allegedly posed as an official of the National Council of Child Rights Advocate and used the name of a supposed NGO and orphanage initiative, known as the “Back to School Project,” to gain the confidence of vulnerable parents.
He reportedly promised the families that their children would receive free education under the programme, leading the parents to release the children to him.
Afolabi said the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad, led by Dandaura Appollos, subsequently launched an intelligence-driven operation to locate the children and those who had allegedly purchased them.
He explained that 15 of the 16 children identified as victims were eventually located and rescued following field tracking, technical intelligence gathering and coordinated operations across several states.
Three of the rescued minors were found separately in Anambra, Imo and Enugu states, while the remaining 12 were recovered during operations along eastern transit routes.
The NSCDC spokesperson also confirmed the arrest of three alleged buyers, comprising one man and two women, in connection with the trafficking operation.
He said investigations were ongoing and that anyone found to have played a role in the crime would be prosecuted.
Afolabi reaffirmed the NSCDC’s commitment to combating human trafficking and protecting vulnerable children, stressing that the corps maintains a zero-tolerance stance toward such criminal activities.
