Lagos govt shuts down 5 orphanages over baby trafficking

In a strong move to protect vulnerable children, the Lagos State Government has shut down no fewer than five orphanages within the past year due to serious offenses including baby trafficking and breaches of the State Child Rights Law of 2015.

Mr. Mobolaji Ogunlende, the Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, revealed this during the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing held on Tuesday, marking Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second year in office.

Ogunlende emphasized that these closures form part of the ministry’s ongoing crackdown on illegal activities in childcare facilities across Lagos.

Ogunlende emphasized that the ministry’s actions are part of a broader clampdown on illegal operations in the child care sector. He noted that some of the affected orphanages were involved in unethical and criminal practices, while others failed to meet the state’s operational standards and legal obligations.

“We have a duty to protect the most vulnerable members of our society, which is why our officers work round the clock.

“Any facility found to be engaging in unwholesome activities such as baby trafficking will be decisively dealt with; we have the records with us,” he said.

According to him, the ministry operates a dedicated monitoring unit tasked with ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and protecting the welfare of children in orphanages and similar care facilities.

“Our monitoring team is constantly in the field, ensuring that these homes are operating within the ambit of the law,” he added.

Ogunlende also highlighted the ministry’s broader social intervention efforts, noting that over 4,000 youths had been trained in various vocational skills in the past year.

“We are committed to empowering our young people. Through targeted skills acquisition programmes, more than 4,000 youths have been trained to become self-reliant.

“Training in vocations such as tailoring, fish farming, ICT; they are at liberty to choose any vocation of their choices,” he said.