A Kano State High Court has ordered the remand of Ogugua Christopher, the owner of Asaba Orphanage Home, at a correctional centre over allegations of kidnapping and trafficking more than 600 children from Kano State.
Christopher, a resident of Asaba in Delta State, is facing trial alongside two others — Hauwa Abubakar and Nkechi Odlyne — on a 15-count charge of conspiracy and kidnapping.
The charges contravene Sections 97 and 273 of the Kano State Penal Code and Section 32(5) of the Children and Young Person’s Law of Kano State.
According to the prosecution, the defendants allegedly conspired between June 21, 2016, and December 20, 2021, to abduct numerous children from Kano and sell them in Delta State.
During the arraignment yesterday, the prosecution counsel and Kano State Solicitor-General, Salisu Muhammad-Tahir, informed the court that the second and third defendants, Abubakar and Odlyne, were absent.
He apologized for their absence and asked the court to adjourn the matter to ensure their appearance while requesting that Christopher be remanded.
However, the defence counsel, Gideon Uzo, pleaded with the court to remand his client in the custody of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) instead of a correctional centre.
Presiding Judge, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu, ordered Christopher’s remand in a correctional facility and directed NAPTIP to produce the two other defendants at the next hearing.
The case was adjourned to October 27, 2025, for further mention and commencement of trial.
The court case stems from a December 2022 petition by the Protection Against Abduction and Trafficking of Our Children (PATAMOC) to NAPTIP, detailing the disappearance of more than 600 children from Kano since 2010. Eight of the missing children were reportedly rescued in a related operation.