The Nigeria Police Force has uncovered a child trafficking syndicate led by Pastor Dayo Bernard of the End Time Army Ministry in Plateau State.
The operation, carried out in Jos, led to the rescue of 13 children and the arrest of Bernard alongside four accomplices. The pastor confessed to deceiving parents under the guise of running a charitable orphanage and selling the children for profit.
The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, January 6, 2024.
Pastor Bernard further confessed to traveling to Kwande District, Quan Pan Local Government Area of Plateau State, under the guise of evangelism, where he deceived parents by claiming to run an NGO/Orphanage offering sponsorship from nursery to higher education, convincing them to release their children to him.
“Police operatives apprehended a child-trafficking syndicate led by one Pastor Dayo Bernard ‘m’ of End Time Army Ministry, Bukuru, Plateau State on the 2nd of December 2024,” the statement read.
“The operation led to the rescue of five children between the ages of 2-4, abducted from various homes in Jos, Plateau State, and the arrest of other members of the syndicate identified as Rita Agboeze ‘f’, Victoria Ugwu ‘f’, Nanman Puntel ‘f’, and Peter Ukwuani ‘m’.
“Upon interrogation, the principal suspect confessed to having abducted and sold 13 children at varying prices, all of whom have been recovered by the police and reunited with their families through the Plateau State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.”
