The Kano State High Court on Tuesday ordered the immediate detention of Mr. Ogugua Christopher, owner of the Asaba Orphanage Home, in a correctional facility over serious allegations of child trafficking and kidnapping involving several children reportedly abducted from Kano State.
According to reports, Christopher had previously turned himself in to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) after eight missing children were recovered during ongoing investigations.
The suspect, based in Asaba, Delta State, is facing trial alongside two others: Hauwa Abubakar and Nkechi Odlyne on a 15 count charge bordering on conspiracy, abduction, and child trafficking. The offences violate Sections 97 and 273 of the Kano State Penal Code as well as Section 32(5) of the Children and Young Persons Law.
Prosecutors alleged that between June 2016 and December 2021, the three accused persons conspired to kidnap children from different parts of Kano and sell them in Delta State.
During the court session, the Kano State Solicitor General, Mr. Salisu Muhammad-Tahir, who appeared for the prosecution, informed the court that two of the defendants: Abubakar and Odlyne were absent, apologizing for their nonappearance. He requested that Christopher be remanded pending their production in court at the next sitting.
However, defence counsel, Mr. Gideon Uzo, appealed that his client be kept in NAPTIP custody rather than a correctional centre.
Presiding Judge Amina Adamu-Aliyu dismissed the plea and ordered that Christopher remain in a correctional facility. She also directed NAPTIP to ensure the appearance of the remaining defendants at the next hearing.
The case was adjourned until October 27 for further mention and the start of the trial.
This development followed a petition filed in December 2022 by the Protection Against Abduction and Trafficking of Our Children (PATAMOC), which alerted NAPTIP about the disappearance of more than 600 children from Kano since 2010, of which only eight have been rescued so far.
The revelations have continued to trigger outrage nationwide, with Nigerians demanding justice for the victims and stronger penalties for child traffickers.
