NSCDC Rescues 21 Minors in Kogi Over Suspected Trafficking
The Kogi State Government says security operatives have intercepted a truck transporting 21 underage children into the state in what is suspected to be a covert trafficking and potential banditry recruitment operation.
In a statement released early Tuesday, Commissioner for Information and Communication Kingsley Fanwo said the children, aged six to 17, were intercepted around 3:00 p.m. on December 5, 2025, by officers of the NSCDC Yagba Area Command working with other security agencies in Isanlu. The operation followed credible intelligence from community hunters.
According to Fanwo, preliminary findings showed the minors were brought from various northern states under questionable circumstances by adults who failed to provide any legitimate explanation for their movement.
He added that several suspects linked to the operation had been arrested, including individuals who claimed they were taking the children to set up an informal Islamic school in Yagba East. More arrests were made as surveillance intensified, with additional persons uncovered in connection to the movement of the minors. Some suspects were reportedly found with items that raised serious security concerns.
Fanwo said the rescued children have been transferred to the NSCDC State Command in Lokoja for further investigation and proper profiling of all involved parties. Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has also directed the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to assume full custody of the children, ensure their welfare, and provide psychosocial support until investigations are concluded.
Once profiling is complete, the minors will be handed over to their respective state governments for further inquiry and eventual reunification with their families.
Fanwo emphasized that anyone found culpable in the trafficking operation will be prosecuted under Kogi State’s child trafficking and child rights protection laws.
He reaffirmed the state government’s zero-tolerance stance on child trafficking, criminal infiltration, and any form of security threat, noting that the Ododo administration will continue to collaborate with security agencies and local communities to protect the state.
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