The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has rescued 15 minors allegedly trafficked and sold for N2m each by a syndicate operating under the guise of a child-rights organisation.
The NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi, disclosed this on Friday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the operation.
Afolabi said the suspect allegedly posed as an official of the National Council of Child Rights Advocate and convinced parents in Nasarawa State to release their children to him.
He explained that the suspect used a purported non-governmental organisation and orphanage initiative, known as the Back to School Project, to lure less-privileged parents with promises of providing free education for their children.
According to him, the rescue operation was conducted by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad, led by Dandaura Appollos, following intelligence gathered on the trafficking network.
He said 15 of the 16 children reportedly trafficked from Kama Madaki and Gudindi Mada communities in Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State were rescued from their alleged buyers.
Afolabi stated that intelligence-led tracking and coordinated operations across several states led operatives to the victims, with three rescued separately in Anambra, Imo and Enugu states, while 12 others were recovered along eastern transit routes.
He added that three suspected buyers, comprising a man and two women, had been arrested in connection with the case, assuring that the NSCDC would prosecute all persons found culpable and maintain its zero-tolerance stance against human trafficking.