The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons says Christopher Nwoye, owner of Happy Home Orphanage, a controversial facility in Asaba, Delta, has surrendered.

This was announced in a statement on Thursday. NAPTIP had, in a statement on September 17 and 26, said that Mr Nwoye was evading arrest. It said that four other women from the state who were laying claim to some of the children rescued from the orphanage were currently being quizzed by the agency.

Mr Nwoye was said to have accommodated in his orphanage, children allegedly stolen from Kano, Gombe, and other states in the North. The NAPTIP press officer said that more than 70 children were discovered in the orphanage during a raid by operatives of the agency in June.

He said that some of the children alleged to have been bought by the orphanage  were rescued by the agency during the raid. He revealed that among the 70 children found in the orphanage were 15 newborn babies, with eight of them rescued and traced to be part of those allegedly stolen from Kano and Gombe.

Speaking on the development, NAPTIP’s director-general, Binta Adamu-Bello, said that, since the suspect had surrendered himself to the agency, investigation would commence in earnest.

“Mr Christopher Nwoye gave himself up today when he arrived at the Headquarters of NAPTIP, Abuja, in the company of his lawyer and women. He had before now turned down all entreaties to report to the agency for investigations.

“It is important to restate that the rescue operation by NAPTIP operatives at Happy Home Orphanage was not an abduction, as the agency does not engage in such condemnable act. The action was a lawful undertaking under the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015, which empowers NAPTIP to investigate, rescue, and prosecute cases of trafficking, abduction, and related offences.

“It is very important that Mr Nwoye is in our facility now in connection with the alleged stolen children that were traced to his orphanage and rescued by operatives of NAPTIP.  His presence is crucial to the ongoing investigation. It is also important for stakeholders, including the media, to know that NAPTIP remains neutral in this matter,” she said.

According to her, the children were rescued and are in a protective shelter, receiving the best care while the investigation concludes. The NAPTIP boss clarified that the children were not being forced to embrace another religion, and they would not be forced to do so.

Ms Adamu-Bello said that the women who claimed ownership of the children and refused to respond to the agency’s invitation earlier were also in the agency facility and were being interrogated to ascertain their claims.

She added that the matter would be thoroughly investigated to uncover the truth, including the conduct of DNA, before a final decision would be taken on the parenthood of the children involved.

(NAN)