NSCDC Rescues 15 Trafficked Children in Nasarawa, Uncovers Arms Diversion and Telecom Theft Rings
Abuja — The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has rescued 15 trafficked children, recovered stolen service rifles linked to its own personnel, and dismantled an inter-state syndicate involved in the theft and vandalism of telecommunications infrastructure across Delta and Kano states, in a series of intelligence-led operations carried out by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’s SIS).
The National Public Relations Officer of the Corps, Assistant Commandant of Corps Babawale Afolabi, disclosed the operations in a statement issued at the NSCDC National Headquarters in Abuja, describing them as part of the Commandant General’s zero-tolerance policy toward crime, corruption, and the destruction of critical national assets. Afolabi said the child trafficking case originated from a petition regarding missing children in Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, which led operatives to uncover a syndicate allegedly led by one Anderson Archibong. According to the Corps, Archibong posed as an official of an organisation called the National Council of Child Rights Advocate, running what he described as a “Back to School Project” to deceive low-income parents from the Kama Madaki and Gudindi Mada communities into releasing their children under the false promise of free education.
The Corps said 16 children were fraudulently taken from their families in January 2026 and subsequently sold to buyers across the country for approximately N2 million each. Through sustained, intelligence-led operations along known transit routes, NSCDC operatives successfully rescued 15 of the 16 children in Anambra, Imo, Enugu, and other eastern transit corridors. Three alleged buyers, identified as Joy Julius, Ngozi, and Eze Lazarus, were arrested in connection with the case and have reportedly confessed to their involvement, while efforts remain ongoing to locate and rescue the one remaining child.
In a separate development touching on internal accountability, the CG’s SIS traced a missing AK-47 rifle to a serving NSCDC officer attached to the Commandant General’s Crack Squad, resulting in the recovery of the weapon along with two empty magazines. A subsequent armoury audit at the Adamawa State Command led to the arrest of a former Head of Armoury and another officer over the alleged illegal diversion of two unserviceable G3 service rifles, which were reportedly removed from the command’s armoury between 2018 and 2024 and sold for between N210,000 and N220,000. According to the Corps, one of the accused officers allegedly resold the weapons to a civilian and manipulated inventory registers to conceal the diversion during routine checks, with both suspects said to be in custody after making confessions.
In the third major operation, the CG’s SIS dismantled an alleged inter-state syndicate involved in the vandalism and theft of telecommunications infrastructure. Operatives arrested a suspect, Henry Dennis, while allegedly vandalising an IHS telecommunications tower site in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, recovering 12 vandalised telecom panels in the process. Further investigation reportedly exposed a wider network involving a scrap market owner and alleged financier, Yusuf Musa, accused of bankrolling the theft operations and facilitating the resale of stolen telecom components. The Corps said financial tracing had uncovered suspicious transactions routed through digital payment platforms, with legal processes underway to secure search and arrest warrants for other syndicate members still at large.
NSCDC Commandant General, Professor Ahmed Abubakar Audi, commended the CG’s SIS for what he described as strong tactical coordination and operational efficiency across the three cases. The Corps confirmed that internal administrative and disciplinary proceedings against implicated personnel had been concluded, while its Directorate of Legal Services has been directed to commence prosecution of all suspects in accordance with the law.
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