NAPTIP denies Asaba abduction claim, says legitimate raid

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, has clarified that its recent operation at the Happy Home Orphanage in Asaba, Delta State, was a lawful rescue and not an abduction, as suggested in some quarters.Addressing journalists during a briefing on Friday, the agency’s Director-General, Binta Bello, said the operation, which took place on June 15, 2025, was prompted by credible intelligence that identified one of over 70 children at the orphanage as Aisha Buhari, a missing child from Kano State.According to Bello, the operation followed a petition from the Protection Against Abduction and Missing Children, PATAMOC, which highlighted concerns over missing children across Kano State.Subsequent investigations revealed that children were allegedly sold across states, with some ending up in the Asaba orphanage.“The rescue operation by operatives of the Agency at Happy Home Orphanage was not an abduction. The Agency does not engage in such condemnable action but operates under the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015,” she stated.The NAPTIP DG stated that all rescued children are being kept in secure agency shelters while investigations, including DNA verification, continue to establish their lawful families. “We will not hand over any of the children to claimants until investigations are concluded. We call on all those making claims to make themselves available to the Agency,” she said.The DG also urged the Delta State Government to investigate the activities of the Happy Home Orphanage to uncover unwholesome practices as admitted to by the State Commissioner for Women Affairs.Bello reassured the public that NAPTIP remains committed to expeditiously concluding investigations, prosecuting anyone found culpable, and reuniting rescued children with their rightful families.