THE Lagos State government has shut an
illegal orphanage at Alagbado in Agbado‑Okeodo Local Council Development Area,
LCDA and rescued five children from the home.It was gathered that the
orphanage, Stream of Mercy and Love for Humanity Centre, located at Ilapo
village, Alagbado was never registered with the state government before it
commenced operation about two years ago.Sources said that officials of the
Office of Youth and Social Development, OYSD, stormed the area last Thursday,
arresting the caregiver found in the orphanage and shut the premises.It was learnt
that the officials rescued five children who were between the ages of one and
eight years. Also, Mrs. Glory Ebenezer, the owner of the orphanage was said to
be away at the time of closure.It was gathered that the caregiver was later
released after the husband to the owner of the orphanage showed up at the
office of the state Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences
(Enforcement) Unit, Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.The owner’s husband, who was
formally detained, was later released on bail as the offence is said to be
bailable.The orphanage, it was gathered, had approached the state government
for registration on December 23, 2013, but was turned down since it did not
allegedly meet the requirement for registration.A state government officials
alleged that the orphanage had been operating three years before it sought for
registration, an act the government declared illegal as one could not operate
an orphanage without being registered.Special Adviser to the state Governor on
Youth and Social Development, Dr. Dolapo Badru, said the state government had
carried out surveillance on the orphanage and discovered that it was not
registered and operating illegally, saying this was what informed the
closure.Badru said: “We got there and rescued the children and locked up the
place and we are going to prosecute them. We want to know how they came about
the children and their history. It is illegal to keep children when they are
not yours without informing the government.”He said that this was not the first
time the government would be prosecuting people with illegal orphanage and that
government would not relent in getting rid of illegal orphanages in Lagos
State.According to him, “some of them think that because they are registered
with the Corporate Affairs Commission, they don’t need to register with us when
they operate orphanage homes. Some of them even say they have a calling from
God to operate orphanages. They should desist from such act when not
registered.“If they have calling from God to operate an orphanage, they should
come to the government and we will give them the requirement to operate. There
must be regulation in this sense as intended operators must have the
infrastructure in place. It is like when you want to operate a school, you must
register.”The Special Adviser noted that it was not impossible that some
illegal orphanages sell babies as they were not being monitored by government,
but noted that those fully accredited to operate were credible and did not
engage in sharp practices.Badru said the children rescued had been kept in
government’s custody while the owner of the orphanage would be arraigned in
court soon.
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