​The Police Service Commission (PSC) is engulfed in sorrow following the sudden and untimely death of Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Matilda Ngbaronye, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of a key division in Lagos.

CSP Ngbaronye reportedly passed away on Friday after complications arose from a surgery she underwent at a private hospital in the state.

​The news was officially conveyed in a Sunday statement released by Ikechukwu Ani, the Head of Press and Public Relations for the Commission.

The statement captured the deep sense of loss felt across the police force and the PSC, emphasizing the profound impact of Ngbaronye’s service.

​The Chairman of the Commission, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Hashimu Argungu (Rtd.), expressed his heartfelt shock and grief over the devastating news.

In his tribute, DIG Argungu praised the late officer’s dedication, describing her as a “committed and hardworking Police Officer who was devoted to the service of the Nigeria Police Force.”

This description highlights the high regard in which Ngbaronye was held by the Commission’s leadership and speaks volumes about her exemplary conduct throughout her career.

​CSP Ngbaronye’s passing leaves a void in the command structure of the Lagos State Police Command, where she was known for her effective leadership and commitment to maintaining law and order.

Divisional Police Officers hold crucial roles, serving as the primary link between the police force and the communities they serve.

Their day-to-day work is vital for crime prevention, swift response to emergencies, and fostering community trust.

Ngbaronye’s reported diligence in this role marks her as a dedicated public servant whose life was committed to the security and peace of the nation.

​While the statement from the PSC focuses on the tribute, the circumstances of her death following an unsuccessful surgery at a private facility add a layer of tragedy to the event.

This detail implicitly raises questions and highlights the vulnerability of officers who dedicate their lives to public service.

​The entire Police Service Commission, under the leadership of DIG Argungu, extends its deepest condolences to the family of CSP Ngbaronye, her colleagues, and the entire Nigeria Police Force.

The PSC’s tribute serves not just as a formal acknowledgement of her death, but as a sincere farewell to an officer who exemplified the qualities of commitment and hard work that the force strives to uphold.

Her memory, as a devoted and hardworking officer, will undoubtedly serve as an inspiration to her peers and subordinates.

The PSC prays for the repose of her soul and for the family to find the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.

​The final words of the Commission’s release reflect a somber realization that a valued member of the service has been lost too soon, underscoring the human cost of dedicated service to the nation.

CSP Ngbaronye’s legacy will endure through the positive impact she made during her time as a Divisional Police Officer.

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, has apprehended a 60-year-old influential figure within the Orphanage Owners Umbrella Body of Nigeria.

The individual, who also founded the globally recognized Civil Society Organisation, the National Council of Child’s Right Advocates of Nigeria (NACRAN), based in Benue State, was taken into custody over allegations of extensive child trafficking, illegal adoption, and child sales.

In what officials described as a major breakthrough, operatives from NAPTIP’s Makurdi Command successfully rescued 26 children out of an estimated 300 who are believed to have been trafficked and sold across Benue, Enugu, Lagos, Nasarawa, and Abuja.

Authorities have launched an intensive manhunt to locate the remaining 274 victims as investigations continue into the full scope of the syndicate’s operations.

A 34-year-old woman suspected to be an accomplice, along with two additional orphanage operators from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Nasarawa State, were also detained after several trafficked children were traced to their care facilities.

This operation follows only weeks after NAPTIP’s Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, OON, publicly voiced her concern about the increasing reports of corruption and exploitation among some orphanage operators.

She had urged state ministries of women’s affair to closely monitor orphanages to ensure compliance with legal and ethical standards.

The latest arrests form part of NAPTIP’s renewed national clampdown on orphanage and childcare institutions, a directive issued by the Director-General in response to multiple reports of child trafficking and other illicit practices involving some shelter homes.

According to official records, the case began on May 1, 2025, when a distraught father reported that his four-year-old son had been handed over by the boy’s grandmother to an NGO without his approval.

Upon demanding his child’s return, the man was reportedly told that he would not be able to see the boy for three years.

His complaint triggered a NAPTIP investigation that exposed a sprawling child trafficking and illegal adoption network.

Preliminary findings revealed that the suspects exploited impoverished rural families in Benue State through a deceptive initiative named the “Back to School Project.” Under this scheme, they allegedly recruited children from conflict-affected communities in Guma Local Government Area including Daudu, Yelwata, and Ngban with false promises of educational sponsorship.

The children were then trafficked to states such as Abuja, Nasarawa, Enugu, and Lagos.

Community meetings were organized to convince local leaders and parents that the project was legitimate. Many guardians either signed misleading consent forms or verbally agreed to release their children, believing they would be reunited after three years.

Reports indicate that over 300 children were taken under this pretense, some without any parental consent at all.

The trafficked children, aged between one and thirteen years, were moved to orphanages in Abuja and Nasarawa, where they were allegedly sold to couples under the disguise of legal adoption for sums ranging from N1 million to ₦3 million per child.

Certain orphanages acted as temporary holding centers where children were kept before being handed over to buyers. Four such homes located at Kaigini, Kubwa Expressway, Abuja; Masaka Area 1, Mararaba (by Abaca Road); and another behind the International Market in Mararaba have been identified and are under investigation.

One complainant revealed he paid ₦2.8 million as an adoption fee and an additional N100,000 as a consultancy charge to a syndicate member. Investigators also discovered that several rescued children had their names and identities altered, making the tracing process difficult.

Responding to the shocking revelations, NAPTIP’s Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, described the situation as both “unbelievable and mind-boggling.”

She stated, “Arising from the case at hand, I wish to say that issues of child trafficking and adoption are becoming a national crisis that requires urgent attention from all relevant stakeholders.

“A few weeks ago, based on credible intelligence, I expressed concern and alerted the state ministries of women affairs on the unpatriotic and illegal activities of some orphanage operators across the country.

“It is painful that some unpatriotic elements with recognised entities and status now use their social class to deceive already vulnerable people in crisis-prone communities, traffic their children most of whom narrowly escape death in the wake of communal or farmer–herder clashes, and sell them to desperate parents in the name of adoption, without the valid legal consent of the parents.

“This is unacceptable, and those already arrested in connection with this wicked act shall be made to face the full wrath of the law.

“Our children are not commodities to be displayed in orphanages and sold at will to the highest bidders. This must stop,” the NAPTIP boss fumed.

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, says it will begin an indefinite nationwide strike starting November 1, 2025.

This was contained in a statement released by NARD President, Mohammad Suleiman, on Sunday.

The statement noted that the strike directive was issued after the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum earlier given to the Federal Government over unresolved demands.

The decision was taken after a five-hour meeting of the association’s National Executive Council, NEC, on Saturday.

“The NEC has marshalled out minimum demands, strike monitoring directives, and ‘no work, no pay/no pay, no work’ resolutions needed for a successful execution of this action.

“Today, after a 5-hour Extra-Ordinary National Executive Council Meeting, the members of NEC have issued out new marching orders to us once again.

“The NEC has unanimously directed us to declare a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike action to commence on Friday 31st October 2025 at 11:59 pm,” the statement said.