On September 25, a heart-wrenching video showing around a dozen and a half malnourished children in a Nigerian orphanage surfaced on the internet. The children, residents of the St. Theresa Orphanage and Widows Home in Abuja, appeared gaunt and hollow-eyed, visibly bearing the marks of maltreatment.
The video, recorded by an unnamed representative of the Public Complaints Commission (PCC), revealed the shoddy operations of the orphanage home following a tip-off by concerned residents in Dogongada village, Lokogoma. A 15-year-old boy, the son of the owner of the orphanage, appeared to be the only semblance of authority at the establishment in the absence of his mother.
This video offends me greatly. I think that the relevant agencies MUST monitor ALL orphanages consistently, not just when they receive complaints. As a matter of fact, let all orphanage homes go through a sort of reform phase, like banks, and be re-certified only if they meet the… pic.twitter.com/YziqAe1bFq
— Michael Achimugu (@mikeachimugu01) September 25, 2025
A joint raid rescues 17 children
Following the public outrage, authorities swung into action to rescue 17 children from the orphanage in a joint raid involving the PCC and the Nigerian Police Force. Authorities uncovered a store room with 14 bags of rice, bales of clothes, and toiletries – the proceeds of donations from the public.
The discovery of stockpiled food and toiletries exposed the children’s true plight – left to waste away in deprivation, ravaged by skin diseases, and weakened by frailty. At the time of the raid (nearly 12:00 pm), none of the children had received breakfast or any semblance of care.
Preliminary investigations also revealed that the children in the Nigerian orphanage were locked up in small, dingy cells and made to sleep on bare floors as punishments for perceived offences. Authorities moved the rescued children to the FCT Police Command Headquarters before handing them over to the FCT Ministry of Women Affairs.
“As a mandate to ensure that justice is delivered where necessary, the public needed us to intervene and see how the children can be rescued,” said Honourable Commissioner for PCC FCT, Musa Dikko.
For now, insiders disclosed that the rescued children are receiving medical and psychological support, while the FCT education authorities have pledged to enroll the students in schools. However, a long-term plan for their housing and care remains unclear.
At press time, the alleged illegal orphanage is under lock and key, while the owner remains at large. A spokesperson for the Nigerian police has revealed that a thorough investigation is ongoing, while assuring the public that justice will be served in the matter.
Symptoms of an underlying problem plaguing the Nigerian orphanage system
The raid on the establishment and the subsequent rescue of the children underscore a deep-seated problem for Nigerian orphanages. Rather than operating as charity organizations, several Nigerian orphanages operate as profit-making ventures by their owners, using children to solicit donations from the public.
Insiders claim that less than a third of the donations reach the intended targets, with orphanage operators selling off donated items and diverting proceeds for personal use.
Lack of regulatory enforcement has allowed unscrupulous individuals to profit from orphanage homes. At press time, there is no central database of approved orphanage homes available to the public. The closest thing to a database is a compilation by the Afrobeats superstar Davido’s David Adeleke Foundation of 500 motherless babies’ homes.
While the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs provides national policy direction, there appears to be a staccato approach in states. In most cases, the State Ministry of Women Affairs issues licenses, while in other states, the Ministry of Social Welfare takes the lead. Meanwhile, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) cracks down on the trafficking and exploitation of children.
For the 17 rescued, the nightmare is over. But for countless others in fake orphanage homes across Nigeria, the fight for protection is just the beginning.