The Niger State Child Rights Protection Agency says it recorded 192 cases of child abuse and violations of children’s rights between November 2025 and June 2026.

The agency’s Director-General, Ummul Mohammed, disclosed this in Minna, saying the cases ranged from rape, trafficking and forced marriage to maltreatment, abandonment, domestic servitude and denial of child maintenance.

Mohammed, who assumed office in November 2025, said the cases were reported across different parts of the state despite the agency’s limited operational resources.

According to her, the agency recorded 30 cases in November, 31 in February, 30 in March, 40 in April, 27 in May and another 30 in June.

She said some of the reported cases involved missing children, sexual abuse, street hawking and children being taken away under the pretext of receiving Islamic education.

Mohammed disclosed that the agency recently rescued 19 children found working at mining sites, including a child believed to be about eight years old.

She said the parents of the rescued children were required to sign bonds worth N5 million per child as an undertaking that they would not return them to mining activities.

The agency also rescued children allegedly trafficked into domestic labour and helped reunite a missing child with her family outside Niger State, she added.

The latest figures come amid a series of child-related incidents reported in the state.

In July, the Niger State Police Command announced the rescue of nine children, aged between seven and 13, who were allegedly being trafficked, with two suspects arrested in separate operations.

The police said six girls were intercepted along the Madalla-Suleja road while they were allegedly being transported for trafficking.

Earlier in June, four children aged between four and seven were rescued in Suleja, while two suspected traffickers were arrested.

Also in June, a Senior Magistrate’s Court in Minna sentenced four men to a combined 95 years in prison for gang-raping a 13-year-old girl in Kontagora. The assault resulted in the girl becoming pregnant.

In another case, a 55-year-old man was sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2024 for sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl in Rafi Local Government Area.

Niger has also recorded a broader pattern of gender-based violence. The state Ministry of Women Affairs reported more than 1,000 cases of rape and other forms of gender-based violence between January and July 2025, including an allegation involving the rape of a nine-year-old girl by her father.

Mohammed attributed the continued prevalence of child abuse partly to poverty and inadequate public awareness.

She explained that some parents give out their children as domestic workers because of their inability to provide for them, leaving the children vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

To address the problem, the agency has increased awareness campaigns in schools and communities while encouraging parents, teachers, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to report suspected cases.

Mohammed also announced that the agency had eliminated fees previously associated with filing complaints, making it possible for victims and members of the public to report cases without paying.

She, however, identified inadequate vehicles and logistics as major obstacles to the agency’s operations, particularly its ability to reach vulnerable children and communities in remote areas.

The director-general said several rape and attempted rape cases were already before the courts and assured that the agency would continue to seek prosecution of those found to have violated children’s rights.

She called for closer cooperation among government institutions, traditional authorities, local councils, civil society organisations and communities to strengthen child protection mechanisms across the state.