By ADERONKE OJEDIRAN

The Lagos State Government has shut down five orphanages in the last one year for offences ranging from baby trafficking to violations of the State Child Rights Law of 2015.

The Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr Mobolaji Ogunlende, disclosed this in Ikeja on Tuesday during the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing to commemorate Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu?s second year in office.

He said that the closures were part of the ministry?s efforts to clamp down on illegal practices and safeguard the rights of children across the state.

?We have a duty to protect the most vulnerable members of our society, which is why our officers work round the clock.

?Any facility found to be engaging in unwholesome activities such as baby trafficking will be decisively dealt with; we have the records with us,? he said.

According to him, the ministry operates a dedicated monitoring unit tasked with ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and protecting the welfare of children in orphanages and similar care facilities.

?Our monitoring team is constantly in the field, ensuring that these homes are operating within the ambit of the law,? he added.

Ogunlende also highlighted the ministry?s broader social intervention efforts, noting that over 4,000 youths had been trained in various vocational skills in the past year.

?We are committed to empowering our young people. Through targeted skills acquisition programmes, more than 4,000 youths have been trained to become self-reliant.

?Training in vocations such as tailoring, fish farming, ICT; they are at liberty to choose any vocation of their choices,? he said.

He further revealed that more than 200 children had been rescued and rehabilitated during the same period, as part of the ministry?s child welfare programmes.

?Each rescued child represents a life saved from exploitation or neglect. That is what drives our commitment,? he concluded.

The commissioner reaffirmed the government?s zero tolerance for any form of child rights abuse and promised that enforcement efforts would be intensified going forward. (NAN)