The founder of Arrows of God Orphanage Home, Deborah Ogo, was remanded in prison for alleged involvement in human trafficking after an undercover investigation revealed illicit activities. NAPTIP charges her with buying and selling babies. Ogo, an ordained minister and retired colonel, faces trial following her arrest. Orphanage premises are sealed.
Deborah Ogo, the 83-year-old founder of Arrows of God Orphanage Home, has been remanded in prison by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). The arrest follows an in-depth undercover investigation by FIJ's founder, Fisayo Soyombo, which exposed the orphanage's illicit activities of selling babies.
Specifically, Soyombo purchased a baby from Ogo for N2 million in July 2023, after nearly two years of intensive investigation. Despite Ogo's background as a retired Nigerian Army Lt. Col and nurse, the court found her guilty of buying and selling a five-month-old baby, resulting in her remand at the Onitsha Correctional Facility. The orphanage's offices in Lagos and Anambra State have been sealed as a result of the investigation.
Ogo pleaded not guilty to the charge and awaits trial, with the case adjourned to July 10, 2024. The comprehensive investigation launched by NAPTIP following FIJ's report led to Ogo's arrest on October 3, 2023, at the premises of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare in Awka, Anambra State.
