The Adinya Arise Foundation (AAF) has successfully rescued 35 children from traffickers in Taraba State and dismantled a baby-stealing ring in Benue’s IDP camps, despite losing international funding after just four months of operations.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting at Club House Life Camp, Abuja, AAF Founder Mabel Adinya Ade revealed how the organisation has been forced to self-finance its anti-trafficking operations following the withdrawal of support by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) due to organisational closure concerns.
“Money never defined this work. We fight because every child in a park at night is ours to save,” Adinya told the gathering, which included state representatives and Ministry of Women Affairs personnel.
The meeting, which aimed to strengthen state-level mechanisms to combat human trafficking in Nigeria, brought together key stakeholders, including the Special Adviser to the Benue State Governor on Security, the Commissioner of Women Affairs of Taraba State, and representatives from various partner organisations.
Grassroots Networks Expose Trafficking Networks
AAF’s team has utilised grassroots networks across Taraba, Benue, and Oyo states, where trafficking cases have surged. The foundation documented how parents in IDP camps send children away with strangers, promising education, only to later discover the children were sold.
In Taraba, traffickers deceived parents with false education opportunities before the 35 children were rescued. Meanwhile, authorities in Benue dismantled a baby-stealing ring operating within IDP camps, with rescued infants including a two-year-old found during nighttime raids of parks.
“We wait and watch as traffickers load the children like cargo,” explained a Taraba official, describing the foundation’s surveillance operations that led to intercepting vans loaded with children at night.
Legislative Progress Despite Funding Challenges
When governments proved unable to prosecute traffickers due to legislative loopholes, AAF’s cluster partners – including the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ecumenical Centre for Justice and Peace (ECJP), and local NGOs – achieved significant results.
Taraba’s anti-trafficking bill was pushed through public hearings and now awaits the governor’s signature as a top priority. Oyo and Benue have finalised similar legislation drafts following AAF’s exposure of how inter-state bureaucracy left rescued girls stranded for six months.
The foundation’s efforts have also led to residents now reporting trafficking cases through established hotlines.
Crisis Deepens Amid Economic Hardship
The trafficking crisis has worsened as poverty breeds desperation, with graduates paying ₦200,000 for fake job opportunities in Mali or Ghana. In IDP camps, parents continue entrusting children to anyone offering food or education promises.
Moving Forward
The summit concluded with practical measures, including the establishment of a WhatsApp group for real-time alerts between states, quarterly meetings to maintain momentum, and continued pressure on governors to sign anti-trafficking bills into law.
Despite the funding challenges, AAF continues its mission to protect vulnerable children and dismantle trafficking networks across Nigeria’s most affected states.
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