The Kano State Ministry of Women Affairs, Children and Persons with Special Needs has begun an investigation into allegations of illegal adoption and child trafficking involving two children taken from a young woman in the Kwana Hudu area of Kano. The case centres on Maryam, a staff member of Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital, who is alleged to have facilitated the unlawful transfer of the children outside the state. The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) alerted the ministry to the matter.
Preliminary findings suggest the children were taken from vulnerable young women with unwanted pregnancies, then moved without legal procedures. The ministry claims they were handed to non-Muslim families outside Kano, breaching both adoption laws and the children's religious and cultural identity. The two children have since been brought to NAPTIP as investigations proceed.
Commissioner Amina Abdullahi Sani led a delegation of senior ministry officials to NAPTIP's office for discussions. She stated that the ministry, working with NAPTIP and other agencies, would not tolerate actions undermining children's rights. "The ministry, in collaboration with NAPTIP and other relevant agencies, will not tolerate any individual or group engaging in activities that violate the rights, dignity and welfare of children," Sani said.
The ministry accused some individuals of exploiting vulnerable women by taking newborns for illegal adoption and possible trafficking. Sani condemned child trafficking, illegal adoption, abuse and exploitation as criminal and unacceptable. She urged residents to report any suspicious activities related to child welfare to the appropriate authorities. Investigations are ongoing, and the ministry promised legal action against anyone found responsible.
Amina Abdullahi Sani leads an investigation into child transfers that mirror the very failures her ministry is meant to prevent, yet she remains in charge. The alleged involvement of a hospital worker in moving children without legal process raises questions about oversight in state-linked facilities. If vulnerable mothers in Kano are losing newborns to illegal networks, then current child protection systems are not working as claimed. The outcome of this probe will show whether accountability extends beyond public statements.
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