13/04/2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Abia State, Nigeria | April 12, 2026
International Day for Street Children: Abia CPN Calls for Action on Access to Justice, Attention to Aba Menace
On this International Day for Street Children, the Abia Child Protection Network (CPN) joins the global community to advocate for the rights, dignity, and protection of street-connected children.
The 2026 theme, Access to Justice: Protect, Not Punish,is a powerful reminder that street-connected children must not be criminalised for their circumstances. Instead, they must be recognised as rights holders entitled to protection, care, and access to justice systems that safeguard their dignity and future.
Across Abia State, children living and working on the streets can be found in pockets of urban and semi-urban communities. While this remains a concern, the situation in Aba, particularly around the Bata axis and Aba South LGA headquarters has become a deeply troubling and visible menace requiring urgent intervention.
These children are not on the streets by choice. Many have been pushed into street life by poverty, neglect, family breakdown, trafficking, and systemic protection failures. On the streets, they are exposed to violence, exploitation, substance abuse, health risks, and multiple forms of abuse that endanger their survival and development.
Aba Street Children Crisis: Rising Exploitation Concerns
CPN Abia expresses serious concern over credible reports suggesting that many of these children are being deliberately exploited. There are indications that some individuals or groups use children for street begging and collect proceeds or “returns” from them at the end of the day.
This practice is deeply exploitative and dangerous. It exposes children to further risks, including physical abuse, criminal influence, trafficking networks, and long-term psychological trauma.
What is unfolding is not just a social concern; it is a pattern of exploitation that demands urgent legal, social, and protective intervention.
Commendation and Call to Government
CPN Abia commends the Government of Abia State, under the leadership of Alex Otti, for the free education policy, which has significantly helped move many children off the streets.
However, CPN Abia calls on the Government to take urgent, coordinated, and decisive action to address the growing street-connected children crisis, particularly in Aba.
We specifically urge the government to:
* Identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals or groups exploiting children for street begging and related activities
* Conduct coordinated rescue operations involving relevant ministries, law enforcement agencies, and child protection stakeholders
* Strengthen rehabilitation and reintegration systems to ensure rescued children are properly cared for, educated, and reintegrated into safe environments
* Deploy social welfare and child protection officers for continuous monitoring, tracing, and follow-up interventions
* Collaborate with neighbouring states to address cross-border trafficking and movement of vulnerable children
* Scale up preventive social protection programmes targeting vulnerable families and addressing root causes of street migration
Call to Law Enforcement and Stakeholders
We further call on law enforcement agencies to treat street-connected children as victims of exploitation rather than offenders, while intensifying efforts to dismantle networks that profit from their vulnerability.
We also urge community leaders, market associations, transport unions, and residents to remain vigilant and report any suspected cases of child exploitation or trafficking.
Our Position
Street-connected children are not statistics; they are children whose rights have been violated and whose futures are at risk.
No child should be exploited, neglected, or punished for circumstances beyond his control.
Justice for these children must mean protection, rehabilitation, and accountability for perpetrators, not criminalisation of victims.
Our Commitment
CPN Abia remains firmly committed to:
* Strengthening child protection systems and advocacy
* Promoting multi-sectoral collaboration
* Supporting rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration efforts
* Ensuring that every child in Abia State is seen, protected, and given a chance to thrive
Conclusion
The situation in Aba is urgent and cannot be ignored. It demands decisive leadership, coordinated enforcement, and sustained intervention in the best interest of the child and the image of the state.
Protecting children is not optional; it is a moral, legal, and societal responsibility.
The time to act is now.
Signed:
Amb. Onyinyechi Joy Nwosu
State Coirdinator,
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
Facebook: Child Protection Network - Abia
CPN Child Help Centre SOS Children's Villages Nigeria
UNICEF Nigeria Priscilla Otti Alex C. Otti
