The Federal Capital Territory Administration has sealed Divine Hope Orphanage and Less Privileged Home in Kagini over allegations of illegal child trafficking and other child welfare violations.
The Director of Child Development at the FCT Women Affairs Secretariat, Idris Attah, confirmed the action in an official statement issued on Monday. He said the facility was shut to allow for a thorough investigation into its activities.
According to the statement, the proprietress of the orphanage, Grace Ebele Chibuzor, allegedly fled with an unspecified number of children to an unknown location without notifying the Child Development Department of the FCT Women Affairs Secretariat.
“This is to inform FCT residents and the general public that Divine Hope Orphanage and Less Privileged Home, Kagini, Abuja, has been sealed with effect from Monday, January 5, 2026, pending the outcome of investigations into its activities concerning children,” the statement said.
Preliminary investigations have linked the orphanage to a recent case involving four siblings who were allegedly taken from Ado in Nasarawa State and moved to Gwagwalada in the FCT.
The children, Joefreey Kasal Asoja, 11, David Mtsewe Asoja, 7, Joy Elsan Asoja, 4, and Joseph Asoja, 2, were reunited with their biological parents on Monday.
Further findings also revealed an alleged connection between the orphanage and Anderson Archibong, the Executive Secretary of the National Council of Child Rights Advocates of Nigeria, who is currently at large.
Authorities suspect that this relationship may have facilitated the illegal movement of children from states such as Benue and Nasarawa into Abuja for unauthorised fostering and adoption.
Attah urged members of the public with useful information on the whereabouts of the missing children or suspects to report immediately to the nearest security agency.
