The children were reportedly taken from Kama Madaki and Gudindi Mada communities in Kokona Local Government Area after a suspected trafficker allegedly convinced their parents to release them under the promise of securing free education.
The NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi, disclosed the development during a briefing at the corps’ headquarters in Abuja on Friday.
Afolabi said the suspect allegedly posed as an official of the National Council of Child Rights Advocate while operating an NGO and orphanage initiative known as the Back to School Project.
He explained that the suspect targeted financially disadvantaged families, persuading parents to surrender their children with assurances that they would receive education and proper care.
According to the NSCDC spokesperson, 16 children were allegedly trafficked from the two communities, with 15 later recovered from their suspected buyers during an intelligence-driven operation.
The rescue was conducted by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad, headed by Commander Dandaura Appollos, following weeks of intelligence gathering, surveillance and tracking.
Afolabi said the operation extended across several states and involved technical intelligence, field tracking and coordinated tactical raids aimed at locating the children and those allegedly holding them.
He disclosed that three of the rescued children were found in Anambra, Imo and Enugu states, while 12 others were recovered during coordinated operations along transit routes in the eastern part of the country.
Three suspected buyers, including a man and two women, were also arrested in connection with the case.
The corps said the operation highlighted how trafficking networks exploit vulnerable families by using education, welfare and improved living conditions as incentives to gain access to children.
It added that the intelligence operation enabled security personnel to locate the alleged buyers and recover the children before they could be permanently separated from their families.
Afolabi said investigations were still ongoing, stressing that anyone found culpable would face prosecution after the conclusion of the probe.
He reaffirmed the NSCDC’s commitment to tackling human trafficking and other forms of criminality, maintaining that the corps operates a zero-tolerance policy towards trafficking in persons.
The NSCDC also urged parents and guardians to thoroughly verify individuals or organisations seeking custody of their children, particularly when such offers are made under the guise of providing education, accommodation or welfare support.
The corps further called for public cooperation and pledged to work with relevant agencies and communities to identify and dismantle trafficking networks and protect children from exploitation.
