Child rights group raises concern over illegal adoption, trafficking

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The Child Protection Network Nigeria has disclosed that it received no less than 36 cases of child abuse within a few months, which includes physical abuse, neglect, child trafficking, sexual abuse and illegal adoption.

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The National Coordinator of the organisation, Olakunle Sanni, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja at a press briefing on the state of the Nigerian child, where he called for urgent national action to strengthen child protection and safeguard vulnerable children.

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Sanni said the cases received by the Child Protection Network Centre reflected the broader challenges confronting children across the country, including sexual abuse, trafficking, abduction, physical violence, neglect, poverty, homelessness, hunger, exclusion from education and inadequate healthcare.

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He said although the organisation acknowledged interventions by the Federal, state and local governments in education, healthcare, school feeding, social protection, child protection, anti-trafficking operations and school safety, millions of children remained exposed to serious risks.

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“These challenges are interconnected and require a coordinated national response,” he said.

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Sanni described sexual abuse as one of the most disturbing violations of childhood, noting that children were abused in homes, schools, religious institutions and other environments where they ought to be protected.

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He expressed concern over the culture of silence surrounding child abuse, saying perpetrators must not be shielded by families, institutions or influential individuals.

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The coordinator called for stronger enforcement of child-protection laws, faster investigation and prosecution of offenders, as well as increased access to medical, legal and psychosocial support for survivors.

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He also condemned physical abuse, including beating, torture, burning, chaining and other degrading treatment of children, urging parents, teachers and caregivers to adopt positive and non-violent methods of discipline.

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On child trafficking, Sanni said children continued to be exposed to domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, forced labour, street begging, illegal recruitment and exploitative family placements.

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He said irregular migration also exposed children to trafficking, violence, sexual exploitation, detention, disappearance and death.

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He urged the government to strengthen border protection, family tracing, documentation, public awareness and reintegration programmes, while creating safe alternatives for vulnerable families.

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Sanni also identified child abduction, particularly from schools and conflict-affected communities, as one of the greatest threats facing children in Nigeria.

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“A school should be a place of learning and protection, not a place where children fear being kidnapped,” he said.

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While commending government and security agencies for efforts to secure schools and rescue abducted children, he called for stronger intelligence gathering, early-warning systems, community participation, rapid response and improved security around vulnerable schools.

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He said every abducted child should remain a national priority until safely reunited with family or placed in appropriate protective care.

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On child adoption, Sanni said the process was a legitimate child-protection mechanism when conducted lawfully and in the best interests of the child, but expressed concern over its alleged abuse as a pathway for trafficking, exploitation and illegal transfer of children.

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He also condemned the alleged involvement of some orphanages and motherless babies’ homes in such practices.

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Sanni cited the recent sealing of Divine Hope Orphanage and Less Privileged Home in Kagini, near Kubwa, by the FCT Women Affairs Secretariat, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, over alleged illegal operation and child trafficking.

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According to him, the home was involved in taking children from Benue and Nasarawa and giving them up for purported adoption without due process.

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He said CPN Nigeria was also monitoring the ongoing court case involving lawyer Timipre Wolo and US-based Pastor Godstime Pender concerning the custody and adoption of a child.

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Sanni said documents in the public domain raised concerns about the adoption process, including issues relating to the residence of the prospective foster parents, documentation and compliance with provisions of the Abia State Child Rights Law.

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He, however, stressed that the organisation would not prejudge the case or take sides, maintaining that its primary concern was the welfare of the child.

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“Our concern is the child,” he said.

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Sanni urged all parties involved in the matter to protect the child from publicity, social-media battles, emotional pressure and unnecessary exposure.

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“The legal battle is between adults; the child must not become the battlefield,” he said.

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He urged the court and relevant child-protection authorities to ensure that every decision concerning the matter was guided by the child’s safety, stability, dignity and best interests.

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On street-connected children, including those commonly referred to as Osanle, omo-ita and Almajiri, Sanni urged the government to adopt a comprehensive approach rather than treating the children as criminals.

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“These are children—not criminals,” he said.

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He attributed street-connectedness to factors including poverty, family breakdown, displacement, abuse, neglect and lack of access to education and basic services.

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He called for safe accommodation, education, vocational training, counselling, healthcare, family tracing, rehabilitation and sustainable reintegration for affected children.

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Sanni similarly advocated a comprehensive approach to the Almajiri challenge through education, nutrition, child protection, skills development and family support.

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He acknowledged government efforts through school feeding and social protection programmes, but said such interventions must be transparent, adequately funded, properly monitored and expanded to reach the most vulnerable children.

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He also called for stronger paediatric healthcare, improved emergency response and better-equipped primary healthcare centres, stressing that no child should die because a family could not afford treatment or because a health facility lacked basic equipment.

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Sanni said protecting Nigerian children required the collective efforts of government, parents, communities, traditional and religious institutions, schools, security agencies, civil society organisations, the private sector and the media.

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“The Nigerian child must not be an afterthought in Nigeria’s development agenda. Protecting the Nigerian child is not charity. It is a national responsibility,”Sanni said.

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The organisation reaffirmed its commitment to working with government and other stakeholders to ensure that Nigerian children could live, learn, grow and thrive in safety and dignity.

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