Kaduna: At just 10 years old, Ladidi Mudi (not real name) wakes at 5:00 a.m. daily. But unlike children her age who prepare for school, her mornings begin with sweeping, mopping, and washing dishes in the home of a stranger she calls ‘mummy’ in Unguwan Rimi, GRA, Kaduna. Though she lives with her employer, Ladidi worries most about not seeing her mother for months. ‘I don’t plan to stay here for long. I want to go back home. I am tired of the city,’ she said quietly.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Ladidi is one of the 24.7 million Nigerian children trapped in child labour. The 2022 Child Labour and Forced Labour Survey shows 39.2 per cent of children aged 5-17 are in child labour. Of these, 29.9 per cent are in hazardous work. The figures are worse in rural Nigeria, where 45 per cent of children work compared to 30 per cent in cities. In the North-west, 6.4 million children are in labour, with over half doing hazardous tasks. Many do not attend school, making states like Jigawa rank highest in out-of-s
chool children.
Born in Jigawa, Ladidi’s parents are too poor to care for her. Her mother sells kuli-kuli while her father farms. Hoping to ease the family’s burden, they allowed an agent to send Ladidi to Kaduna as a maid. ‘I never attended a conventional school in my village. I only went to Quranic school and sometimes helped my mum hawk kuli-kuli. I want to learn how to read and write and be a teacher,’ she said.
Before her current placement, Ladidi briefly worked in another Kaduna home but begged to return to Jigawa due to the exhausting workload. Instead, the agent reassigned her to a new employer. She works with 15-year-old Raliya, also from Jigawa. Their employer, a career woman, explained why she prefers underaged maids: ‘They are easier to groom and less likely to cause problems. Older girls often sneak out and mingle with men. I don’t have that time,’ she said.
Kaduna is a key hub for minors trafficked from neighbouring states like Jigawa and Katsina. Labaran Ado-Tanimu, State Commander of the Na
tional Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), said Kaduna functions as a source, transit, and destination for trafficking. ‘Children are brought from rural communities to work as maids, labourers, or worse, for sexual exploitation. Many are under 18, some as young as 10,’ he said.
Trafficking persists in spite of awareness campaigns. Most traffickers are women who operate networks linking rural agents with urban employers. ‘An employer tells an agent the type of maid they want. The agent contacts someone in the village to source a girl. The child is then transported like goods, sometimes handed to commercial drivers who deliver them straight to the city agent or employer,’ Ado-Tanimu added. He noted that poverty and ignorance fuel the trade, with many parents willingly giving away children, believing it benefits the girl’s future.
To understand the system, an undercover investigation was conducted, revealing how easily agents connect young girls from rural areas to urban households i
n Kaduna. The investigation highlighted the demand for underaged maids and the financial transactions involved, with agents like Rahma and Maman Rabi facilitating the trade.
Nigeria has passed several laws against trafficking, including the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act and the Child Rights Act (CRA) of 2003. However, enforcement remains weak, and the CRA requires state adoption for enforcement. Kaduna has advanced by passing its Child Welfare and Protection Law in 2018.
Civil society groups play a vital role in addressing child trafficking. Hafsat Muhammad-Baba, Coordinator of the Global Initiative for Women and Children (GIWAC), pointed out that parents often agree to send their children due to poverty or insecurity, hoping for better care in the city. However, children are often overworked and underpaid, if paid at all.
Despite existing laws, awareness campaigns, and NGO interventions, child trafficking and labour continue to thrive in Kaduna and across Northwes
t Nigeria. Poverty, ignorance, weak enforcement, and cultural acceptance keep the cycle unbroken. The voices of children like Ladidi and Raliya remind us that this is not just about numbers, but lives, futures stolen before they can begin.
The report was facilitated by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under its Report Women! Female Reporters Leadership Programme (FRLP) Fellowship, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
