FCTA Shuts Down Priesthood Orphanage in Abuja Amidst Allegations of Child Trafficking

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has taken decisive action by sealing the Priesthood Orphanage in Karon Majigi Village, Abuja, following the rescue of 23 children aged one to 14. These children are suspected to have been trafficked from Plateau State.

Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, the mandate secretary of the Women Affairs Secretariat, FCTA, made this revelation while handing over the rescued children to Plateau Commissioner for Women Affairs, Caroline Dafur, in Abuja on Monday. Benjamins-Laniyi emphasized that an ongoing investigation is underway to ascertain the veracity of the trafficking allegations.

The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has authorized a comprehensive profiling and recertification process for orphanages operating in the nation’s capital. Mrs. Benjamins-Laniyi stated, “The Minister has approved that there will be a full thorough reprofiling and recertification of anything that has to do with orphanages in Abuja.”

The Women Affairs Secretariat is collaborating with Mrs. Dafur to facilitate the reunification of the children with their families. Shockingly, some of these children had been residing in the uncertified orphanage since 2019.

Mrs. Dafur highlighted the dire conditions the children endured, noting that three had managed to escape due to the appalling state of the orphanage. Discovered by officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps and reported to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, these children were eventually found in a Deeper Life Church after an exhaustive search.

Expressing gratitude, Mrs. Dafur thanked the mandate secretary for her assistance in evacuating the children to the Karu Children’s Home. She decried the deplorable conditions at the orphanage, emphasizing the urgent need for improved standards in the care of vulnerable children in the country.