Kogi State authorities have halted a suspected child trafficking operation in Yagba East after intercepting a truck transporting a group of underage children under questionable circumstances.
In a detailed account, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, revealed that the incident occurred around 3 pm on December 5, 2025. Security operatives of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps in Yagba Area Command, working with other agencies in Isanlu and acting on intelligence provided by local hunters, stopped the vehicle and discovered twenty one children between the ages of six and seventeen.
Preliminary findings showed that the children had been moved from various northern states by adults who were unable to give any credible explanation for their movement. Fanwo noted that several individuals believed to be linked to the operation were arrested. Some of them claimed they were bringing the children to set up an informal Islamic learning centre in Yagba East, but further investigation raised deeper security concerns.
More arrests were made as surveillance intensified across the area, exposing additional suspects allegedly connected to the transport of the minors. Items recovered from some of those apprehended further heightened suspicions about the intention behind moving the children.
The rescued minors have been relocated to the NSCDC State Command in Lokoja for comprehensive investigation and proper profiling of everyone involved. The state governor, Alhaji Usman Ododo, has instructed the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to take full responsibility for the children’s welfare and provide the needed psycho social care until investigations are concluded.
According to Fanwo, once profiling and verification are completed, the children will be returned to the governments of their respective states for additional inquiries and eventual reunification with their families. He stressed that anyone found guilty will face prosecution under Kogi State’s laws on child trafficking and child rights protection.
He reaffirmed the state government’s firm stance against child trafficking, criminal infiltration, and any activity that threatens the safety of residents, adding that the administration will continue to work closely with security agencies and local communities to maintain peace across the state.
