A 44-year-old woman was detained by the Nigerian police for allegedly stealing 15 kids in the southern state of Rivers.
The woman, who pretended to be a nun running an orphanage, is accused by the authorities of kidnapping the kids in order to sell them.
The children are reportedly aged between four and 15 years.
The police said they were working to reunite the children with their parents.
State Commissioner of Police, Friday Eboka, said investigations revealed that some had been abducted years ago, including a nine-year-old boy who had been taken from a market in 2020.
He said some of the children had recounted to the police their experiences of torture and mistreatment.
He said a further probe into the incident was ongoing with a view to arresting other suspects linked to the crimes.
Human trafficking is common in Nigeria.