Reports circulated this week alleging that officials of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) “adopted” eight children from Happy Home Orphanage in Asaba, Delta State, and secretly moved them to Kano to change their religion.

On Friday, NAPTIP’s Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, set the record straight at a press briefing in Abuja. She explained that the agency carried out a lawful rescue operation after receiving a petition from the Protection Against Abduction and Missing Children (PATAMOC) and gathering intelligence about a child-trafficking network.

“The rescue operation was not an abduction. NAPTIP does not engage in such condemnable acts,” Bello said.

According to Bello, the eight children were originally stolen from Kano and hidden at the orphanage in Asaba. Working with the police, NAPTIP removed the children to protect them and begin the process of reuniting them with their lawful families. DNA tests and a full investigation are underway, and no child will be handed over until identities are confirmed.

The agency also urged the Delta State Government to look into the orphanage’s activities and called on anyone with legitimate claims to the children to cooperate with investigators instead of spreading allegations on social media.

Despite the controversy, NAPTIP maintains it is focused on protecting vulnerable children and prosecuting traffickers, in collaboration with the Kano State Government, the Nigeria Police Force, and other stakeholders.