Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A joint appeal has been launched by community members and local authorities in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State, following the discovery of two young children wandering alone near the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Secretariat on Tuesday evening, July 7, 2026. The children, whose identities and family backgrounds remain unknown, were found in a distressed state and have since been taken into protective custody by the authorities pending the identification of their relatives.
According to a statement from a community leader who spoke on condition of anonymity, the children were spotted by passers-by around 6 p.m. near the NYSC Secretariat in Lafia. Concerned residents quickly alerted the authorities, who arrived at the scene and took the children to a safe location. The community has since been sharing the children's photographs on social media platforms, urgently appealing for anyone with information about their parents or guardians to come forward.
The discovery comes against the backdrop of a troubling pattern of child abduction and trafficking in Nasarawa State. On January 5, 2026, operatives of the Nasarawa State Police Command rescued four abducted children and reunited them with their families following an intelligence-led operation . The rescue operation, which was carried out in collaboration with operatives of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, was launched after a report was received on December 31, 2025, at the New Nyanya Division in Karu LGA, concerning the disappearance of the children under suspicious circumstances . Preliminary investigations revealed that the children were allegedly abducted by one Abraham Asoje, 28, in conspiracy with one Joy Bolaje, 29, both of Ado Junction in the LGA, and the suspects reportedly kept the children in confinement before the timely intervention of the police .
On March 12, 2026, a young boy who was abducted by suspected child traffickers from Lafia was rescued in Abuja. According to a Facebook post by a community member, the boy was reportedly taken from within the College of Agriculture in Lafia and brought to Abuja, where the suspects attempted to sell him. He was rescued by security operatives after the traffickers were arrested . The post urged anyone with useful information about the victim's family to contact community leaders to facilitate reunification .
Data released by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) indicated that 47 children were reported kidnapped across the state. In one case, NAPTIP successfully rescued two kidnapped children and reunited them with their parents. These children had been given Igbo names after being trafficked across state lines to Anambra State .
Residents of Lafia have called on parents and guardians to be more vigilant and to ensure that their children are properly supervised at all times. They have also urged security agencies and social welfare authorities to intensify efforts to protect children from abduction and trafficking, and to ensure that the children found wandering near the NYSC Secretariat are speedily reunited with their families.
The Lafia community has expressed its determination to ensure that the children are safely reunited with their families and has called on anyone with information to contact the nearest police station or the Lafia Local Government social welfare department.
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