This special edition of the weekly update highlights the issue of human trafficking in the Niger Delta, specifically focusing on the alarming trend of child trafficking for illegal adoption and sexual exploitation in Delta State. Data from January 2020 to September 2024 reveal over 60 reported child trafficking incidents in the Niger Delta, with 14% occurring in Delta State. Recent cases point to a resurgence of trafficking activities in Delta State. In July 2024, police reportedly rescued 23 trafficked teenagers and arrested 35 suspects involved in a trafficking operation at a hotel along Ughelli/Patani Road, Ughelli South LGA. In October, two women were allegedly arrested in Ekpan community, Uvwie LGA, while attempting to sell a three-day-old baby for two million naira. In a separate incident that same month, a woman reportedly sold her 15-year-old daughter to a suspected sex trafficker in a hotel in Owase community, Udu LGA. Most recently, on November 13, 2024, a woman was allegedly arrested in Agbor, Ika South LGA, while attempting to sell a young boy, who had been kidnapped while running an errand for his parents.

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