Published by Osasere Edomwonyi Ikpoba
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has dismantled a child trafficking syndicate that operated under the cover of a fake non-governmental organisation, rescuing 15 minors who were sold for ₦2 million each and arresting three buyers in a major operation that exposed how traffickers exploit the desperation of vulnerable families. The syndicate, allegedly led by one Anderson Archibong, preyed on low-income parents in Nasarawa State by promising free education under a fictitious “Back to School Project” before trafficking their children to buyers across multiple states.
The NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi, disclosed the breakthrough at a news briefing at the corps’ headquarters in Abuja on Friday, detailing how the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’s SIS), led by Commander Dandaura Appollos, executed the rescue operation. According to Afolabi, the suspect deceived parents from the Kama Madaki and Gudindi Mada communities in Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, convincing them to hand over their children with promises of educational opportunities. “Under the guise of operating an NGO and orphanage programme called the Back to School Project, he lured willing, less privileged parents into releasing their children with promises of free education,” Afolabi stated.
The investigation was triggered by a petition over missing children in Kokona LGA. Intelligence-led operations revealed that Archibong allegedly took custody of 16 children in January 2026 and sold them to buyers in different parts of the country for ₦2 million each. Through advanced field tracking, technical intelligence, and multi-state tactical sweeps, operatives tracked the buyers across several states and transit corridors. Fifteen of the 16 trafficked children were successfully rescued from their alleged buyers. Three of the victims were rescued in Anambra, Imo, and Enugu states, while 12 others were recovered in a coordinated operation along eastern transit routes.
Three suspected buyers—identified as Joy Julius, Ngozi, and Eze Lazarus—have been arrested and have reportedly confessed to their involvement in the trafficking operation. Efforts are ongoing to locate the remaining child and apprehend other members of the syndicate. The NSCDC has assured the public that all suspects found culpable will be prosecuted after the completion of the corps’ investigation.
The operation is part of the NSCDC’s broader zero-tolerance policy on crime, corruption, and the destruction of critical national assets, as directed by the Commandant General, Professor Ahmed Abubakar Audi. This crackdown on child trafficking coincides with other major successes by the corps, including the recovery of stolen service rifles and the dismantling of an inter-state telecommunications infrastructure vandalism network.
The rescue has sent shockwaves through the communities of Kokona LGA, where parents who had entrusted their children to what they believed was a legitimate charity are now grappling with the reality of how their hopes for a better future were exploited. The case highlights a disturbing trend in which traffickers weaponise the promise of education—one of the most powerful aspirations of struggling families—to facilitate the sale of children into modern-day slavery.
As the NSCDC continues its investigation and the search for the remaining child intensifies, the focus now shifts to ensuring that the rescued minors are reunited with their families and receive the psychosocial support they need to recover from their ordeal. The arrest of the buyers and the exposure of the syndicate’s operations represent a significant victory in Nigeria’s fight against human trafficking, but they also serve as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of children in impoverished communities and the urgent need for stronger safeguards to protect them from predators who see their futures as commodities to be bought and sold.
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