Lagos rescues 12 children from Pastor operating illegal orphanage

Lagos State government has rescued 12 children from the custody of one Pastor Chibuike (other name withheld), founder of Voice of Salvation Charitable Organization, who had been operating an illegal orphanage at Ojo area of the state since 2010.

The Ministry of Youth and Social Development disclosed on Tuesday through a statement made available to journalists by its Assistant Director, Public Affairs Unit, Mrs. F.A Olabisi, saying the arm of the law caught up with Pastor Chibuike last week when one of the children in his care took ill and was taken to hospital for medical attention.

The statement said, “Enquiries from the hospital about the medical history of the indisposed child revealed that Pastor Chibuike who owns the supposed orphanage is not registered under the Lagos State Government as stipulated in the law.”

The statement further read that a raid on the orphanage, which took officials of the Lagos State Task Force and officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development some days, led to the rescue of these innocent children from the illegal orphanage.

During a preliminary interrogation by the State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile Yussuf, Pastor Chibuike reportedly claimed that he received a call from God to start the orphanage home over six years ago to rescue helpless children from societal vices and misdemeanor. He further said that he registered the orphanage with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in 2010.

“I am a native of Anambra State. I am called by God to render this service to humanity by helping the less privileged such as widows, motherless children and homeless people. I provide adequate care for these children till their parents can take over their care. For those that were abandoned, I train them even up to university level’ he stated,” Chibuike said.

The Commissioner has, however, assured that disciplinary actions would be taken against him after further investigations that would be carried out by the police, stressing that ignorance was not an excuse under the law.

The commissioner said, “when you operate an illegal orphanage in Lagos, it is a criminal offence. Your registration with CAC does not give you any license to operate an orphanage in Lagos. Here we operate with the law that guides us. Orphanage is not a charitable organization you feel God has guided you to go and assist people”.