The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in collaboration with the Taraba State Ministry of Women Affairs and Child Development, has successfully reunited 10 trafficked children with their biological parents in Jalingo, following a coordinated intervention aimed at protecting minors from exploitation and illegal movement.
The children were rescued after NAPTIP operatives intercepted a woman and the minors on January 31, 2026, at Kurmi Park in Jalingo, while they were allegedly being transported to Baissa, the administrative headquarters of Kurmi Local Government Council in Taraba.
Confirming the development, the Commander of NAPTIP’s Taraba Command, Bako Amos, said the state’s Commissioner for Women Affairs and Child Development, Mary Sinjen, alongside the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Eric Juyo, visited the agency to formally receive the children and engage with them.
“The visit was part of efforts to understand how these children were removed from their homes, the challenges they encountered, and the factors driving such illegal movements,” Amos said. “This will help shape policies and strategies to prevent future occurrences.”
According to the statement, the engagement aimed to identify the root causes of the illegal movement of minors from their homes to unknown destinations and to assess the challenges faced by the victims, with a view to developing policies that would help curb human trafficking and the irregular migration of children, women, and girls.
NAPTIP, meanwhile, urged parents and guardians to resist handing over their children to unknown individuals in the hope of easing financial burdens, cautioning that traffickers frequently exploit minors for profit.
The agency reaffirmed its commitment to the protection, rehabilitation, and welfare of trafficking victims, while assuring that suspects linked to the case would be prosecuted in accordance with existing laws.
