NAPTIP DNA testing will settle conflicting parentage claims over eight rescued children in Asaba, ensuring lawful reunification with families

NAPTIP DNA testing will now be used to resolve the conflicting claims of parentage over eight children recently rescued from an orphanage in Asaba, Delta State.

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The Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Binta Bello, announced on Friday that DNA tools and other verification methods would determine the rightful parents of the children before reunification.

The announcement follows a heated controversy, with some residents in Delta claiming that the rescued children—initially linked to missing cases in Kano—belonged to them.

Bello stressed that the children were not abducted by NAPTIP but lawfully rescued under the agency’s statutory mandate to investigate and prosecute cases of trafficking and child exploitation.

She explained that the operation stemmed from a petition by the Protection Against Abduction and Missing Children in 2022, which alleged widespread child trafficking. Investigations revealed links between a Gombe suspect, Hauwa Abubakar, and Happy Home Orphanage in Asaba.

Abubakar reportedly confessed to selling 21 children, while the orphanage proprietor, Christopher Nwoye, admitted to receiving seven of them. Both suspects, along with an accomplice, are currently facing trial in Gombe.

Bello said that during a joint raid in June 2025, NAPTIP and local police identified eight children, including Aisha Buhari, who had been reported missing in Kano. However, conflicting claims soon emerged, prompting the need for DNA verification.

“No child will be released until investigations are concluded and parentage confirmed,” Bello assured, calling for patience and understanding from the public.

She also urged Delta State authorities to investigate private orphanages, citing unethical practices that compromise child welfare.

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The case has highlighted the deep challenges of trafficking in Nigeria, with reports of over 600 children still missing in Kano between 2010 and 2019.