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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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Featured

CELEBRATING A CENTURY-OLD CIVIL AVIATION SECTOR TRAJECTORY IN NIGERIA

Published

2 weeks ago

December 1, 2025

The Gleamer

This week, millions of Nigerians and others across the globe will join the Ministry of Aviation and Space Development under the irrepressible leadership of the Honourable Minister, Festus Keyamo(SAN),and all the notable Aviation sector stakeholders in and outside the country,in celebrating a century of Nigeria’s civil aviation history.

There is no doubt that under the present leadership of the Honourable Minister and within the short spell of time in his stewardship,he has consciously and intentionally embarked on a “silent revolution” for the industry with very veritable and laudable landmarks that have consistently grown the industry.

Some of these spirited efforts for instance have consequently led to trust restoration amongst international lessors, financier,any global partners.Of note also is assidiously working for the full domestication and implementation of the “Cape Town Convention Agreement” ,which gives Airlines access to modern fleets of competitive rates as well as enforcement of IDERA(Irrevocable Deregulation and Export Request Authorization).

Having well applauded these vital contemporary initiatives,it will also be germane to cast our minds in retrospect by taking a peep into our history over several decades to recognise some of the notable forebears in the industry whose impressionabl efforts cannot be overlooked,as they took the impetuous initiatives of breaking the ice at the nascent stage.
It will aptly corroborate the truism which says that… ” a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step”.

The above is vividly captured from a tribute by the First Republic Minister of Aviation Chief Mbazulike Amaechi at the funeral of late Igwe of Oba,HRH Peter Ezenwa(MFR) in 2018.
It states inter alia…”One significant thing I will say many people didn’t know is that the first indigenous airline that was to run in Nigeria was known as “STANDARD AIRLINE”.It was founded in 1966 by a company formed by Igwe Peter Ezenwa from Oba,and had on board,John Nwankwu from Abagana,Edward Ebo from Ezinifitte,(all from Anambra state),John Anyaehie from Nkwerre in Imo state,and lastly my very self Mbazulike Amaechi.
The five of us later acquired two brand new aircrafts,and had four pilots,namely;Unachievable,John Emma Ngwu and Felix Offor,who was to be the General Manager of the airline.
But just about the time for the take-off the crisis of the military takeover erupted in the North as the planes were on their way for delivery to us.In fact the bank handling the transaction was to allow the planes to be flown from the USA,but the news of the war broke out in 1967,the insurance company cabled for the cancellation of the deal as they will not be able to cover the risk cost of aircrafts being flown into war zone.
So,we asked the manufacturers to take the two aircrafts back to their country and hold on for six months with the hope of that the war will end within the requested time frame,but the war didn’t end as thought.We consequently asked for refund and they deducted some money and refunded the balance which was deposited at the London branch of African Continental Bank(ACB).

When the government took over the operations of ACB,we still hoped for the refund but unfortunately were disappointed that the Federal government took over the whole money and we lost everything.”

Further in line with our historical perspective,it will also be pertinent some of the later years reformists in the likes of Engr Onyereri and Harold Demuren who advertently sponsored some far reaching regulations that eventually steered the industry towards greater autonomy with the passage of the 2005 Civil Aviation Act,which I was also a prime participant of in my capacity as an Aviation sub chair in then House of Representatives.

As we mark this great century milestone,and with the clear evidential pathway set out by the current managers of the industry under the indomitable leadership of Honourable Minister, I do not see the sky posing any limitations as they say,but rather availing new vistas of limitless growth opportunities.

CONGRATULATIONS.

Hon Chidi Nwogu
Former member House of Representatives & presently Governing Council member
,African Aviation and Aerospace University,Abuja.

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