The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in partnership with the Taraba State Ministry of Women Affairs and Child Development, has reunited 10 trafficked children with their biological parents in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital.
The children were rescued on Saturday after NAPTIP operatives intercepted a suspected trafficker who was transporting them through Kurmi Motor Park in Jalingo.
Confirming the development in a statement on Tuesday, the Taraba State Commander of NAPTIP, Bako Amos, said the victims were formally handed over to their families on February 2.
According to him, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Child Development, Mrs Mary Sinjen, alongside the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Eric Juyo, visited the NAPTIP command to receive the children and engage them in discussions.
Amos explained that the interaction was aimed at understanding the circumstances that led to the illegal movement of the minors from their communities to an undisclosed destination.
He added that the engagement also focused on identifying the challenges facing the children and developing long-term solutions through policies and programmes to reduce human trafficking and irregular migration involving minors.
NAPTIP warned that the irregular movement of children—often done without parental consent or based on false promises of better opportunities—exposes them to exploitation, abuse, and other serious dangers.
The agency cautioned parents against releasing their children to traffickers under the guise of economic relief, stressing that such decisions put minors at grave risk.
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Amos reaffirmed NAPTIP’s commitment to protecting, rehabilitating, and reintegrating victims of trafficking, assuring that those responsible for the crime would be prosecuted.
“It will not be business as usual for traffickers in Taraba State. Anyone found guilty will face the full weight of the law,” he said.
He also disclosed that the 10 children were counselled before being reunited with their families.
NAPTIP urged members of the public to remain alert and report any suspicious movement involving children to the appropriate security agencies.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the Ogun State Police Command recently dismantled a child trafficking and illegal surrogacy syndicate operating under the guise of an orphanage, rescuing seven children and arresting five suspects.
