Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command have arrested a popular Abuja-based pastor, Rev. Pastor Prince Bassey Ajah, for his alleged involvement in child trafficking.
Ajah, the General Overseer of “Wells of Salvation” Church, was apprehended alongside two accomplices—Nancy Atoo and Deaconess Vera Duru—following a foiled attempt by his brother to traffic a young boy on May 24, 2025.
According to a statement issued by the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, the arrest followed a distress call from staff at Wazobia Motor Park in Gwagwalada. The call reported a man exhibiting suspicious behavior while attempting to travel with a young child. Officers from the Gwagwalada Area Command quickly dispatched an Emergency Response Team, which apprehended one Isreal Ajah as he tried to board a vehicle to Owerri, Imo State, with a seven-year-old boy.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the boy had been handed over to Isreal by his elder brother, Rev. Pastor Ajah. This discovery prompted the immediate arrest of Pastor Ajah and his accomplices in the days following the incident.
Further investigations led officers to the home of Nancy Atoo, where another victim—a four-year-old girl identified only as “Mercy”—was rescued. The girl had no identification or documentation and is currently in protective custody while efforts are being made to locate her biological parents.
It was uncovered that both children were being trafficked for sale in Owerri. During police interrogation, the suspects confessed that the boy, identified as Muktar Hassan, was to be sold for ₦1.2 million in a deal reportedly arranged by Deaconess Vera Duru. Fortunately, Muktar has since been reunited with his family.
The suspects are currently in police custody as investigations continue. Authorities say the case underscores the alarming rise in child trafficking in the country and have vowed that all culprits will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
