UK-Based Christian Rights Group Calls for Immediate Return of 16 Children Seized from Nigerian Orphanage

Abuja, 17 August, 2025 / 10:19 PM

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a UK-based human rights foundation, has called on the Nigerian government to release all 16 children who were taken from Du Merci Centre in Nigeria’s Kano State some five years ago.

Du Merci’s co-founder, Professor Richard Solomon Musa Tarfa, has been in and out of court since December 2019, fighting for the custody of 16 out of 27 children who were seized from the orphanages on allegations that the institution's documents were forged.

In a Monday, August 11 report, CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas expressed solidarity with the Tarfas, calling on the Kano State Government to release the remaining children and compensate them for the pain they have undergone.

“CSW stands with the Tarfas in calling for the immediate return of the 16 remaining children who have now been unjustly separated from them for over five and a half years,” Thomas said.

He added, “We insist that the Kano State government, which is currently disregarding the court’s instructions to return these children to the Tarfas’ care, must make reparations to this family for the years of trauma and injustice to which they have been subjected through needlessly, prolonged legal proceedings and the appalling mistreatment of these children whilst in the government’s so-called care.”

The founders of the Du Merci Centres for vulnerable children have launched a petition calling for the return of 16 children whom the Kano State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development subsequently placed in the government-run Nasarawa Children’s Home in Kano City.

According to the CSW report, 11 older children were returned while the five younger ones remained at Nasarawa Children’s Home despite the professor’s acquittal in June 2021 after he had been in custody for “abducting children from their legal guardians and confining them in an unregistered orphanage.”

CSW also noted that the children confined at the government-run children’s home are undergoing challenges such as   mistreatment, ostracism, pressure to convert, and lack of proper medical care.

“There are also ongoing concerns regarding the medical care of the children still in government custody. In the case of one of the children, who suffered severe burns in a fire accident at the orphanage, the Du Merci Centre bore the brunt of the costs of his food and medical costs for over seven months,” CWS said.

“CSW is also aware that the children in the orphanage struggle to receive timely medical attention when they fall ill, often receive expired medication, and cannot access nutritious food that would assist their recovery,” the human rights entity added.

CSW reports that efforts of Prof. Tarfa and his wife to secure the children’s release have been frustrated since hearings on 28 November 2023 and 15 February 2024, when a court instructed the Ministry of Women Affairs and the Tarfas to reach an out-of-court settlement about the children.

After several appeals to the Office of the Kano State Attorney General and a direct petition to the State Governor, an agreement was reached between the Du Merci Centre and the Ministry of Women Affairs stipulating that the formal handover of the children to the Tarfas takes place on or before 19 March 2025. The agreement was filed at the Kano State High Court, which issued a consent judgment.

After several appeals to the Attorney General of Kano State and a direct request to the State Governor, the Du Merci Centre and the Ministry of Women Affairs finally agreed that the children would be returned to the Tarfas on or before 19 March 2025. This agreement was given legal approval by the Kano State High Court.

The handover date was first moved from March 19 to March 20. However, on March 20, the Commissioner for Women Affairs announced its suspension due to the Governor’s request to   the Attorney General to take over the process after an “inter-ministry review” of the court’s decision. The review is still pending up to date.