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Fake Orphanages: FCTA Evacuates 19 Children From Famouskids Home

Published

7 years ago

April 12, 2019

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has begun the clampdown on illegal orphanages being operated in the nation’s capital territory to ensure sanity.

The Acting Secretary, Social Development Secretariat (SDS), Hajia Safiya Umar, on Friday evacuated 19 children from Famouskids Orphanage Home, in Tungan Maje area of Zuba, Gwagwalada Area Council, Abuja over alleged negligence and other nefarious acts.

Accompanied by the joint team of security personnel they stormed and sealed off the premises of the orphanage, which also runs a school in the area

It was gathered that the Famouskids Orphanage Home had 25 children as inmates, but only 19 of them who are between ages 4 and 17 years were met as at the time of the evaluation exercise.

According to her, the exercise would rid the nation’s capital, especially the outskirts, of human trafficking and other practices that are against child right act.

“There is a lot in the Federal Capital Territory that we have to do; the abuse is becoming too much. How can somebody set up an orphanage and be selling children? The Social Development Secretariat Authority wants to know the proprietor and the person is nowhere to be found

“Our investigations show that more needs to be done in order to stop the proliferation of illegal orphanages, it appears is a very big business going on in the city which the government least expected.

“The government thought they were well-spirited people that are opening orphanages to help children without parents, as a way of helping the government in managing some social vices. Unfortunately, people have used it as a business, using the children as personal business,” she said.

Mrs Umar explained that the FCT Administration will not tolerate the activities of individuals who indulge in bringing children from other states into the federal capital and using them to make money.

She said: “It has become a NAPTIP case because all the children are either from Akwa Ibom or Cross River states; this is outside their jurisdiction because there is jurisdiction of operation of orphanages.

“All children that will be kept in orphanages in Abuja must come from Abuja, anything outside Abuja is trafficking and that won’t be tolerated by FCTA.”

According to her, preliminary reports revealed that most of the children are brought to Abuja from Cross Rivers and Akwa Ibom states, and were left since February 2019 in the care of a 23-year-old, who claimed to be an undergraduate of the University of Abuja.

She added: “The police wrote to SDS to come and evacuate the children, meaning there are a lot of things happening in orphanages. From our investigations here, we have come to realize that there are other linkages with some other orphanages in Abuja.

“Orphanages are not meant to sell children. We gathered reliably from the police that the child might have been sold and she is in Lagos and we are now trying to track her,” she explained.

“It is bothering us that the orphanages in FCT are abusing the law, they are only supposed to keep the children only for three months and then give them out either for adoption or fostering.”

On his part, one Edet Raphael, who claimed to be working with the orphanage as a volunteer, denied knowledge of the missing child from the Home.

He said: “I don’t know anything about the missing child, the first time I heard I was arrested and taken to the police station and they questioned me about the child.

“I told them (the police) I don’t know anything about the missing child. I remember the first girl but I have never met the missing girl.”

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Resetting the Frontlines: Army Undergoes Rejuvenation Under Lt. Gen Shaibu’s Command

Published

2 weeks ago

February 11, 2026

The Gleamer

…Intelligence-led warfare, troop welfare take centre stage
…Discipline, welfare, accountability define new era
…As sustained operations weaken terrorists, restore confidence

By Ibukunoluwa Adedeji

When Lt-Gen. Waidi Shaibu assumed office as the 25th Chief of Army Staff (COAS) on 30 October 2025, Nigeria faced an array of security challenges: insurgency in the North-East, banditry and kidnappings in the North-West, communal violence in the North-Central, and separatist tensions in the South-East. Troops were overstretched, public confidence was fragile, and adversaries were increasingly adaptive.

Yet within his first 100 days, Shaibu delivered renewed direction, restored confidence, and a reinvigorated operational posture. His leadership has begun to reshape both the internal culture of the Army and its external engagement with a nation hungry for stability.

From the outset, Shaibu emphasised leadership by presence. He undertook early and frequent visits to frontline formations, engaging directly with troops and commanders, inspecting bases, and holding candid discussions about operational realities. During one such visit, he reminded soldiers that “failure is not an option” and that the Army must “take the fight to the enemy and sustain the pressure”. For personnel operating under austere conditions, this visible command style carried symbolic and practical weight, signalling both accountability and support.

Within the ranks, these engagements have been interpreted as a reassertion of professionalism, initiative, and discipline at every level of command. Morale, strained by years of protracted internal security operations, has shown early signs of recovery.

Rather than pursue sweeping doctrinal changes, Shaibu has focused on tightening existing operations, closing gaps, and enforcing discipline. Commanders have been directed to prioritise sustained pressure over episodic offensives, denying armed groups freedom of movement, disrupting their logistics networks, and degrading command structures. This approach reflects an understanding that Nigeria’s threats are fragmented and mobile, and that lasting gains depend less on dramatic victories than on persistent control of contested spaces.

Central to this recalibration is the emphasis on intelligence-led operations. By urging formations to reduce predictability and adapt tactics to evolving threats, Shaibu has reinforced flexibility and responsiveness, particularly in theatres where adversaries exploit terrain, local vulnerabilities, and intelligence gaps.

Perhaps the most widely welcomed dimension of Shaibu’s early tenure has been his candour about logistics and welfare challenges. He has openly acknowledged equipment shortages, maintenance backlogs, and inefficiencies in supply chains — issues often underplayed at senior command levels. “You cannot demand excellence from soldiers without giving them the tools to succeed,” he told troops during one engagement.

Although such systemic problems cannot be resolved quickly, the early prioritisation of welfare and sustainment has resonated strongly across the ranks. It has reinforced the principle that discipline and performance thrive where leadership invests in people as much as platforms.

Shaibu has also been unequivocal in reaffirming professionalism and discipline as non-negotiable pillars of Army conduct. Troops have been reminded to adhere strictly to rules of engagement and to protect civilians, particularly in complex internal security environments where the distinction between combatant and non-combatant is often blurred. “Operational success and public trust are inseparable,” he has said, underscoring that legitimacy and restraint are as critical as kinetic force in modern conflict.

Civil–military relations and strategic communication have likewise received renewed attention. Under his leadership, the Army has sought to balance operational secrecy with transparency, explaining actions affecting civilians and reinforcing the reality that contemporary conflicts are fought as much in the court of public opinion as on the battlefield.

While his tenure remains young, early operational dividends are emerging. Dr Sani Abubakar, military scholar and publisher of OurNigeria News Magazine, describes Shaibu’s leadership as “reassuring and energising”, citing his combat credibility, operational boldness, and focus on troop welfare. According to Abubakar, Shaibu’s philosophy centres on sustained dominance of the battlespace, intelligence-led targeting, and uncompromising control of reclaimed terrain — principles vital to breaking cycles of retreat and resurgence by armed groups.

He notes that numerous terrorist elements have been neutralised under this approach, while others, weakened by sustained pressure, have surrendered. Equally significant, Abubakar observes, is Shaibu’s emphasis on sound administration. Fairness and transparency in postings and appointments are gradually restoring confidence within the officer corps and rank and file, addressing long-standing concerns about morale, meritocracy, and institutional trust.

Reflecting on Shaibu’s career, Abubakar describes him as “a thoroughbred, no-nonsense officer who led from the front and was unflinching in confronting Boko Haram terrorists”. His insistence on integrity, accountability, and merit-based leadership, he argues, is grounded in experience at every level of command and now shapes the tone of the Army’s senior leadership.

At the 100-day mark, Shaibu’s tenure is defined more by direction than dramatic outcomes — a reality seasoned analysts regard as realistic and prudent. Nigeria’s vast terrain, multiplicity of threats, intelligence gaps, and enduring resource constraints mean that no leader can deliver transformative security outcomes overnight.

Nevertheless, the gains are tangible. Operational coherence has improved, morale has lifted, and public confidence, though cautious, has begun to recover. The focus on sustained operations, intelligence-driven targeting, troop welfare, professionalism, and accountability represents a recalibration towards durability rather than spectacle.

Abubakar, while commending these advances, advocates deeper investment in human intelligence, expanded use of unmanned aerial vehicles, and sustained commitment to security sector governance reforms as essential for long-term efficiency and professionalism.

Beyond operational metrics, one of Shaibu’s most significant achievements lies in restoring institutional confidence. Among officers and soldiers, his leadership style — marked by visibility, firmness, and empathy — has reinforced the belief that competence, integrity, and merit are once again ascendant values within the Nigerian Army.

Among communities affected by violence, his emphasis on civilian protection, transparency, and professionalism has begun to reframe perceptions of the military from a distant security force to a responsive national institution committed to safeguarding lives and livelihoods. For political leaders and security stakeholders, his early tenure has provided reassurance that Army leadership understands both the complexity of Nigeria’s security challenges and the necessity of sustained, coordinated responses rather than episodic reactions.

Ultimately, Shaibu’s success will be measured not by early momentum but by enduring outcomes: fewer attacks, safer communities, and restored public confidence in the state’s capacity to protect its citizens. Troops will judge whether leadership intent continues to be matched by resources, reforms, and consistent follow-through.

What is already clear, however, is that Lt-Gen. Waidi Shaibu has reset the tone at the top of Nigeria’s Army. Through leadership by presence, operational discipline, attention to troop welfare, and an unambiguous commitment to professionalism and accountability, he has laid the foundations for sustained institutional recovery.

In a security environment where patience is scarce and pressure relentless, these early gains matter. They suggest that under Shaibu’s stewardship, the Nigerian Army is not merely reacting to threats, but regaining the initiative, and crucially, the confidence needed to confront Nigeria’s most persistent security challenges with resolve, coherence, and credibility.

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