The Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dr. Binta Bello, has urged individuals claiming parentage of eight children recently rescued from a human trafficking cartel in Asaba, Delta State, to present themselves for official investigation rather than engaging in social media campaigns and spreading misinformation. During a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, Dr. Bello addressed the controversy surrounding a June 2025 operation in Asaba, where NAPTIP operatives rescued eight children allegedly trafficked from northern Nigeria. She stated the briefing was essential to clarify misleading narratives circulating online and in media, emphasizing the importance of setting the record straight in cases involving child welfare and safety.

Dr. Bello elaborated that the rescue operation stemmed from a petition submitted in December 2022 by Protection Against Abduction and Missing Children (PATAMOC). This petition initiated investigations by NAPTIP’s Kano Zonal Command, leading to the arrest of Hauwa Abubakar in Gombe State. Abubakar confessed to trafficking children and selling at least 21 of them to an individual named Nkechi Odlyne. Further investigations revealed that Odlyne had resold seven of these children to Mr. Christopher Nwoye, proprietor of Happy Home Orphanage in Asaba, for N450,000 each. Upon his arrest, Nwoye admitted his involvement and returned four children. He, along with Hauwa Abubakar and Nkechi Odlyne, is currently facing prosecution in the Gombe State High Court.

While three of the rescued children were reunited with their biological parents from Gombe, a fourth child, identified by a Kano-based mother as her missing daughter, Aisha Buhari, had unfortunately been returned to the orphanage prior to her identification. This specific case is now with the Kano State Commission of Inquiry on Missing Children, and NAPTIP dispatched a joint team from its Abuja headquarters and Kano Zonal Command to rescue Aisha and conduct further assessments at the orphanage in Delta. Dr. Bello stressed that this was a lawful rescue operation conducted with full support from the Delta State Police Command, refuting false claims of abduction by some online commentators.

The NAPTIP team, accompanied by members of PATAMOC and armed police officers, visited Happy Home Orphanage on June 15, 2025. Although the proprietor was absent, his wife was present, and over 70 children were profiled during the visit, with eight identified based on photographs provided by the PATAMOC chairman. Dr. Bello expressed dismay that despite the transparent process, Nwoye has since refused to cooperate with further questioning. Instead, he has launched an online smear campaign against NAPTIP and mobilized women to make conflicting claims regarding the rescued children.

Dr. Bello affirmed NAPTIP's stance: “We have made several attempts to reach Mr. Nwoye for questioning, both directly and through his lawyers. Rather than respond, he has chosen to attack the integrity of the agency.” She clarified that NAPTIP is not opposed to individuals making claims over the children, but they must subject themselves to lawful investigation. Given multiple claims from women in both Kano and Delta states, NAPTIP has relocated the children from a Kano State shelter to a secure agency-run facility to ensure their protection during the ongoing investigation. Dr. Bello firmly stated, “We will not release any child to any claimant until investigations, including DNA tests, are fully concluded.”

Furthermore, the Director-General called upon the Delta State Government to initiate an independent investigation into the activities of Happy Home Orphanage, citing concerns about “unwholesome practices” reported at the facility. She echoed concerns raised by the Delta State Commissioner for Women Affairs, urging decisive steps from the state to uncover what is happening at the orphanage. Dr. Bello reiterated NAPTIP’s unwavering commitment to due process, highlighting the agency’s legal mandate under the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015, which empowers it to carry out rescues, investigate trafficking networks, and prosecute offenders. She concluded by assuring the public of the agency’s resolve to swiftly conclude the investigation, prosecute offenders, and ensure that the rescued children are safely reunited with their lawful families, emphasizing that NAPTIP remains focused on the children’s welfare and will ensure the law takes its full course.