Rights group alleges child trafficking links to officials, demands probe

A human rights organisation, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, has raised alarm over allegations that children may have been unlawfully transferred or sold through persons connected to official institutions.

The group said particularly troubling are allegations suggesting possible collusion among certain officials responsible for child welfare, law enforcement, and related state institutions.

In a statement, the Executive Director of RULAAC, Okechukwu Nwanguma, said petitions and complaints received by the organisation have raised questions about whether systems established to protect vulnerable women and children may have been compromised and turned into channels for exploitation.

RULAAC warned against attempts to suppress complaints or intimidate whistleblowers, insisting that retaliatory disciplinary actions against individuals raising concerns would only deepen public suspicion.

Nwanguma stated that what is urgently required now is not denial, intimidation, or retaliatory measures, but a transparent and independent investigation.

The organisation called on the Nigeria Police Force to immediately establish an independent investigative panel to examine all allegations linked to the handling and transfer of children connected to the Juvenile Welfare Centre in Ebonyi State.

RULAAC also urged the involvement of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Ministry of Women Affairs, and relevant human rights bodies.

According to the group, investigators must determine whether children were unlawfully transferred, sold or trafficked, whether vulnerable women were confined or coerced, and whether public officials abused their positions.

Nwanguma warned that the credibility of institutions charged with protecting children and administering justice is at stake.

He noted that failure to act decisively and transparently may reinforce the perception that organised child trafficking networks operate with institutional protection.

RULAAC further stressed that every allegation of trafficking deserves thorough investigation and that all public institutions implicated by credible complaints must be willing to submit themselves to scrutiny.

The organisation concluded that the time for a credible, independent, and exhaustive investigation is now.