Nigeria – Arrows of God founder imprisoned for human trafficking | NAPTIP accuses Deborah Ogo

Lina PortmanJune 3, 2024

2 1 minute read

Arrows of God orphanage founder Deborah Ogo has been remanded in custody for alleged involvement in human trafficking after an undercover investigation revealed illicit activities. NAPTIP is responsible for buying and selling babies. Ogo, an ordained minister and retired colonel, will be tried after her arrest. The orphanage premises are sealed.

Deborah Ogo, the 83-year-old founder of Arrows of God Orphanage, has been remanded in custody by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). The arrest follows an extensive undercover investigation by IFJ founder Fisayo Soyombo, which exposed the orphanage's illicit baby-selling activities.

Specifically, Soyombo bought a baby from Ogo for N2 million in July 2023, after almost two years of intensive investigation. Despite Ogo's background as a retired lieutenant colonel in the Nigerian Army and a nurse, the court found her guilty of buying and selling a five-month-old baby, leading to her pretrial detention at the Onitsha Correctional Centre. The orphanage offices in Lagos and Anambra State were sealed following the investigation.

Ogo has pleaded not guilty to the charge and is awaiting trial, with the case adjourned to July 10, 2024. The extensive investigation launched by NAPTIP following the IFJ report led to Ogo's arrest on October 3 2023, at the premises of the Ministry of Women and Social Protection in Awka, Anambra State.