US DOS Issues Alert for “Child-Buying Operations” in Nigeria UPDATED
We have been reporting this for 3 years from Nigerian Baby Factory-Denmark Bans Adoptions to 25 of 27 children rescued from Nigeria illegal orphanage to Two children rescued from illegal Nigerian adoption to Third and Fourth Nigeria baby factories discovered in past two years all the way to June 1, 2011‘s Police rescue 32 expectant mothers from Nigerian baby trafficking operation.
Now, The DOS has issued an alert found at http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=alerts&alert_notice_file=nigeria_1 and pasted below:
“Alert: Reports of Child-Buying Operations in Nigeria
Over the past several months, Nigerian media outlets have reported on government raids and closures of alleged child-buying operations posing as orphanages or homes for unwed mothers. Prospective adoptive parents are warned about possible scams involving children who may be illicitly offered for adoption.
We encourage prospective adoptive parents to review our website,adoption.state.gov, for information about completing a legal adoption in Nigeria. Prospective adoptive parents should carefully research the orphanage or organization through which they plan to adopt.
Additionally, the State Department is aware of a growing number of adoption scams and has posted guidance for prospective adoptive parents who believe they have been affected.
The Department of State and USCIS will continue providing updated information on adoption.state.gov as it becomes available. If you have any questions about this notice, please contact the Office of Children’s Issues at 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or 202-501-4444 from outside the United States. Email inquiries may be directed toAdoptionUSCA@state.gov.”
REFORM Puzzle Piece
Update: Dos Has Sent on Notice on October 13, 2016.
You can read about it here:
“Notice: Update on Intercountry Adoptions from Nigeria and Important Cautionary Notes
The Department of State (Department) and the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) wish to advise U.S. prospective adoptive parents (PAPs), adoptive parents, and adoption service providers (ASPs) of information recently provided by the Ministry of Social Welfare (Ministry) and the High Court Family Division in Lagos State, Nigeria. In April 2016, the Ministry stated it will no longer require PAPs to be Nigerian citizens or of Nigerian descent in order to pursue an intercountry adoption of a Nigerian child in Lagos State. Specifically, the High Court Family Division of Lagos State confirmed that when it is in the best interest of the child, the court may waive the legal requirement that at least one adoptive parent must be a Nigerian citizen.
The Ministry also stated that Morgan Hill Children Foundation, a Nigerian non-profit organization that specializes in child welfare, must facilitate all intercountry adoptions from Lagos State. Morgan Hill is the only organization authorized by Nigeria to facilitate intercountry adoptions from Lagos state.
Effective July 14, 2014, unless an exception applies, there must be a U.S. accredited or approved adoption service provider acting as the primary provider in every intercountry adoption case. Also, any agency or person providing an adoption service on behalf of prospective adoptive parents in any Convention or non-Convention case must be accredited or approved, or be a supervised or exempted provider. The applicable accreditation standards include the requirement to supervise foreign providers that provide, or facilitate the provision of, adoption services. Agencies working in Nigeria should review the Guidance on Supervising Foreign Providers posted on our website.
Please note that the information in this notice applies only to intercountry adoptions from Lagos State and does not reflect laws and procedures that may be in effect in other states in Nigeria. For additional information on the general requirements for intercountry adoption in Nigeria, visit the Department’s website.
Please continue to monitor our website for updates on adoptions in Nigeria and state specific information.
For further information regarding this notice, please contact the Department’s Office of Children’s Issues via email at Adoption@state.gov. For specific inquiries about cases pending with the Department please contact the U.S. Consulate General at LagosIV@state.gov, or for cases pending with the USCIS National Benefits Center at NBC adoptions@uscis.dhs.gov. ”
Recent Comments