A Kano State High Court has ordered the remand of Ogugua Christopher, owner of an orphanage home in Asaba, Delta State, over allegations of child abduction and trafficking.
The children were allegedly taken from Kano and sold in Delta between 2016 and 2021.
Ogugua is standing trial alongside two others — Hauwa Abubakar and Nkechi Odlyne — on a 15-count charge of conspiracy and child abduction.
The offences contravene Sections 97 and 273 of the Kano State Penal Code and Section 32(5) of the Children and Young Persons Law.
According to the prosecution, the defendants allegedly ran an illegal network that took children from Kano under false pretences before selling or transferring them to families in Delta State for profit.
Defence plea rejected by the judge
During Tuesday’s hearing, prosecution counsel Salisu Muhammad-Tahir told the court that two of the accused — Abubakar and Odlyne — were absent despite multiple efforts to secure their attendance.
“We have done our best to ensure their presence and sincerely apologise to the court,” Muhammad-Tahir said, while urging the judge to adjourn the case and remand Ogugua in custody until the others are brought before the court.
In response, defence counsel Gideon Uzo pleaded that his client be held in the custody of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) instead of a correctional centre, citing safety and cooperation with ongoing investigations.
Judge orders remand, sets new hearing date
Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu rejected the defence request and ordered that Ogugua be remanded in a correctional facility.
She further directed NAPTIP to ensure that the two absentees are produced at the next court sitting.
The case was adjourned until October 27, 2025, for continuation of hearing, as the prosecution prepares to present witnesses and documentary evidence linking the defendants to the alleged child trafficking network.
The case has drawn public attention as part of ongoing efforts by authorities to combat child trafficking and illegal orphanage operations across Nigeria.
