A 10-year-old girl from Wuna Zhide, Agaie Local Government Area of Niger State, who was subjected to years of abuse by her caregiver in Rigasa, Kaduna State, has been rescued and reunited with her biological father through the intervention of Save the Children International (SCI) under the Education Cannot Wait (ECW) campaign.
The girl, who was handed over to her caregiver, identified as Fatima Mamud, at a tender age, reportedly suffered physical assault, starvation, and emotional trauma for about seven years before she escaped.
She was discovered by the Save the Children team while they were carrying out routine child protection monitoring in the Ungwan Makama area of Rigasa.
According to SCI Case worker, Zanab Abdulkarim, the child fled her caregiver’s home after enduring another round of beating and hunger. She was found wandering and in distress before being taken into protective custody of the Mai Ungwan.
The Mai Ungwan Hayin Torotoro, Ungwan Makama, Lawal Abdul Fatima, commended the Save the Children team for their continuous efforts in rescuing and reuniting children who are victims of abuse or neglect.
“We have seen several similar cases in this community. When this particular girl was brought to me, she insisted she did not want to return to her caregiver. I immediately requested that her biological father should come personally to take her home,” he said
Lawal noted that the SCI intervention has helped reunite many children with their families and called for greater vigilance among parents and neighbors to report suspected cases of abuse.
The Child Protection Committee (CPC) chairman in Rigasa, Salisu Sali’u, also confirmed that the area recorded numerous cases of child abuse daily.
“We receive close to 10 cases of child abuse in a single day,” he said. “Many of these children either flee from home due to maltreatment or are found wandering the streets. We are working closely with security agencies to stop such acts.”
Sali’u urged parents to take full responsibility for their children’s welfare and to avoid sending them to live with relatives, stepmothers, or guardians without supervision.
The girl’s father, Danladi Usman, described the incident as “deeply unfortunate,” saying he had trusted the caregiver to provide education and care for his daughter.
“I thought I was helping her by sending her to the city,” he said. “I never imagined she was going through such suffering. I thank Save the Children and the ECW campaign for saving her life and reuniting us.”
The incident in Rigasa highlighted the growing trend of informal child fostering and its dangers in northern Nigeria, where many children are sent to live with extended relatives or acquaintances under promises of better care but end up in exploitative situations.
Community leaders and child protection advocates continued to call for stronger collaboration between local authorities, civil society, and families to ensure children’s safety.
“This is not an isolated case,” said CPC chairman Salisu Sali’u. “We must all stand up to protect children. No child should suffer in silence.”
