FCTA Shuts Down Orphanage Over Alleged Child Trafficking

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) took decisive action by sealing the Priesthood Orphanage in Karon Majigi Village, Abuja, following the rescue of 23 children aged between one and 14 from the facility. These children were reportedly trafficked from Plateau, sparking a thorough investigation into the alleged trafficking.

Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, the Mandate Secretary of the Women Affairs Secretariat, FCTA, revealed that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had authorized the Secretariat to profile and recertify all orphanages operating within the nation’s capital. Benjamins-Laniyi emphasized the urgent need for the comprehensive reprofiling and recertification of all orphanages in Abuja, signaling a significant shift in regulatory oversight.

The rescued children are set to be reunited with their families as the Secretariat collaborates with Plateau Commissioner for Women Affairs, Caroline Dafur, to facilitate the process. Shockingly, it was disclosed that some of the children had been housed in the uncertified orphanage since 2019, underscoring systemic failings in the oversight of child welfare institutions.

Mrs. Dafur highlighted the deplorable conditions at the orphanage, noting that three children had managed to escape and were discovered in distressing circumstances by the Federal Road Safety Corps. Their intervention ultimately led to the involvement of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and the rescue of the remaining children. She lamented the appalling state of the orphanage, describing it as “not supposed to be called an orphanage,” and stressing the urgent need for improved protection of vulnerable children.

These harrowing events emphasize the critical need for rigorous oversight of orphanages and other child welfare institutions, as well as concerted efforts to combat child trafficking and safeguard the welfare of children.