Kwara Shuts Unapproved Orphanage, Moves 30 Children Into Approved Care
The Kwara State Government has shut an unapproved orphanage in Ilorin and moved 30 children found at the facility into approved care for medical screening, assessment and continued support.
The children, boys and girls aged between two and 15, were removed from Iranlowo Oluwa Orphanage and Children’s Home on Thursday by officials of the state Ministry of Social Development, according to a ministry statement reported by PUNCH.
The government said the children would receive food, education support, medical screening and psychosocial care while officials assess their individual circumstances.
Commissioner for Social Development Mariam Nnfatima Imam said the ministry would also begin family tracing, with reunification considered where officials determine that returning a child home is safe and appropriate.
Children who cannot safely return to their families would be placed in approved care facilities after assessment and documentation, she said.
Oversight Questions Follow Closure
The ministry said it would strengthen oversight of orphanages and children’s homes and directed operators to obtain government approval.
Approved facilities are also expected to display their authorised status publicly so families can distinguish them from unapproved institutions.
The closure does not, by itself, establish that abuse, trafficking or another criminal offence occurred at the facility.
What the state has publicly established is that the home lacked approval and that the children were transferred for assessment and protection.
For the children, the immediate issue is continuity of care: health, nutrition, schooling, family circumstances and safe long-term placement.
For the state, the accountability question is broader — how an unapproved institution housing 30 children operated, how long it remained outside the approval system, and whether regulators had previously inspected or received complaints about the facility.
The next development should come from the ministry’s assessment of the children, its review of the orphanage’s status and any enforcement decision that follows.
